Accra: The Government of Ghana, in partnership with the World Bank and other development partners, has introduced the Ghana National Pact for Agriculture and Economic Transformation (AGRICONNECT). This comprehensive agricultural strategy aims to accelerate agricultural transformation, strengthen food security, expand agribusiness investment, and create millions of jobs.
According to Ghana Web, the launch event held in Accra was attended by government officials, development partners, private sector representatives, and stakeholders from across the agricultural value chain. The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, emphasized the collaborative effort behind the compact, involving multiple government ministries with support from the World Bank, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the African Development Bank (AfDB), and other partners. Opoku highlighted the identification of strategic crops and sectors where Ghana has competitive advantages and the potential to develop value chains that can create jobs, especially for young people.
Deputy Minister of Finance, Thomas Nyarko Ampem, discussed the economic urgency of transforming agriculture, noting that Ghana spends between US$2 billion and US$3 billion annually importing food products that could be produced domestically. He stressed that agriculture is central to Ghana's economic transformation agenda, contributing 22 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and supporting nearly 44 percent of employment nationwide.
Ampem detailed several government interventions aimed at modernizing agriculture, including the Feed Ghana Programme and the Grow24 Initiative. He disclosed that the Ministry of Finance has released GHS1.677 billion, representing 85 percent of the approved budget for the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, to support various projects.
The World Bank's Vice President for Planet Practice Group, Guangzhe Chen, described AGRICONNECT as a platform for creating more and better jobs through stronger linkages in the agricultural sector. The compact is backed by a proposed US$3.5 billion investment programme over the next five years, supported by the Government of Ghana and other development partners.
World Bank Division Director for Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, Robert Taliercio, highlighted the compact's focus on high-potential sectors where Ghana has strong competitive advantages and substantial opportunities for job creation and import substitution. The initiative prioritizes cocoa, oil palm, rice, maize, and poultry, while also recognizing opportunities in cashew, coconut, rubber, fisheries, horticulture, and the forest economy.
AGRICONNECT aims to transform agriculture into a modern agribusiness sector by focusing on key value chains with significant potential for economic growth and employment generation. The initiative will be implemented under a results-based framework with measurable targets covering productivity, job creation, food security, and value-chain performance.