PFJ II will continue progressive transformation of  Ghana’s Agriculture, says Akufo-Addo

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is confident that the second phase of the Planting for Food and Jobs programme, with its focus on an input credit system that accommodates all value chain participants will continue the progressive transformation of Ghana’s agricultural landscape.

With a strong emphasis on commercial agriculture, and a cascading effect on all stakeholders, from production to processing, distribution, and marketing, President Akufo-Addo believes, “This comprehensive approach will stimulate economic activities within the sector, generate employment, support industrialisation, boost exports, increase incomes, foster rural development, and propel overall economic growth.”

The President was speaking at a meeting of international development partners, on the second phase of the programme for Planting for Food and Jobs, at the Alisa Hotel, Accra, on Thursday, 26th October, 2023.

It will be recalled that on Monday, 28th August, 2023 in Tamale, capital of the Northern Region, President Akufo-Addo, launched the second phase of the Programme for Planting for Food and Jobs, which is a five-year strategic initiative, designed to accelerate the growth of the agriculture sector, in response to the exacerbated challenges it has faced, primarily due to the combined impact of recent adversities like the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Anticipated to enhance food security and establish a strong comparative advantage in the production of diverse cash and food crops and poultry products by the end of the five-year implementation period, the President noted that, the new “comprehensive approach will stimulate economic activities within the sector, generate employment, support industrialisation, boost exports, increase incomes, foster rural development, and propel overall economic growth”, as well as, “leverage competitively the opportunities presented by the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).”

He further touched on the “unwelcome situation where Government, through its agencies such as the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, has no foreknowledge of some funds being employed in the country by international development agencies” as he acknowledged the multifaceted challenges facing Ghana’s agriculture, especially in relation to available funding resources.”

President Akufo-Addo also touched on the urgency of complementing governments efforts on the programme through resource mobilization and funding mechanisms, such as loans, grants, technical assistance, and other agricultural support initiatives, by collaborating with research institutions, farmer organisations, and private sector entities, to ensure increased capacity building, technology transfer, and knowledge sharing.