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The application of smart solutions to agriculture is the Key to achieving Food Sufficiency – VP Bawumia
The targeted interventions and programmes initiated by the Government in the Agriculture sector since 2017 continue to yield significantly positive results and, with comprehensive reviews and upscaling, the objective of food security and resilience should be achieved shortly, Vice President Bawumia has stated.
The application of smart solutions to agriculture would, however, speed up this process, and Dr Bawumia has challenged all players in the agriculture value chain to embrace and speedily adopt smart technologies to boost food production.
Speaking at the 39th National Farmers’ Day held at Tarkwa in the Western Region on Friday, 1st December 2023, Vice President Bawumia said Ghana’s experience on the Agriculture front in the past six years demonstrates government’s unwavering commitment to transform the sector and place it on a sound footing for accelerated development, with demonstrable results.
“These efforts have yielded notable success through the flagship programme, Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ), initiated in 2017. For example, from a baseline growth of 2.9% in 2016, the agricultural sector recorded an average growth rate of 6% from 2017 to 2022. This significant increase in growth rate enhanced food security, increased job opportunities across the agricultural value chain and supported emerging industries with raw materials among others.
“The programme resulted in significant increases in productivity of some staples. Yields for maize production increased from 1.8 metric tonnes per hectare in 2016 to 3.3 metric tonnes per hectare in 2022. That for rice increased from 2.9 metric tonnes to 4.5 metric tonnes per hectare during the same period,” he underscored.
PFJ 2.0
To reinforce these gains and further expand the reach of these interventions, Government in August this year launched Planting for Food and Jobs 2.0, with clear objectives.
“The PFJ 2.0 programme holds a lot of promise for the food and agricultural sector given the valuable lessons learnt from the past. It is a five-year strategic intervention that marks a major shift from the input subsidy programme to a smart input credit system. The programme is designed to deliver smart solutions to catalyze growth and transform the food and agricultural sector.
“We have set ourselves ambitious but achievable targets for every year of the five-year period of the programme. For example, we expect to increase our self-sufficiency of rice from the current level of 48% in 2022 to 72% by 2025 and 106% by 2028; and for poultry from 5% in 2022 to 22% by 2025 and 111% by 2028. We strongly believe that by design the PFJ 2.0 will create greater awareness about Ghana’s agriculture and attract the needed investment from both domestic and international investors.
Technology
Reiterating his call for the adoption of improved scientific methods, technology, digitalization, Big Data and the Internet of Things, Vice President Bawumia emphasized that farmers and fishers need to embrace and adopt new methods of food production.
“In the 21st century, technology abounds and can be accessed easily. There is therefore no excuse to continue with farm methods and practices that militate against the achievements of sustainable food security and resilient food systems. Some of these smart technologies adopted in our agricultural system include development and dissemination of improved climate smart crop varieties and animal breeds; design and application of efficient irrigation systems with solar systems; adoption of conservation agriculture; use of climate information services for improved weather forecasting; application of precision agriculture with use of drones; soil tests kits to inform appropriate use of soil nutrients; improved market information and use of digital platforms for trading; and improved storage systems and technologies to reduce postharvest losses and increase value addition.
“We will continue to scale up the adoption of these technologies and the introduction of new ones that become available,” he pledged.
Food Sufficiency
Giving an overview of the various interventions being implemented by his Ministry, the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Hon Brian Acheampong, was confident that Ghana would be less reliant on the rest of the world for her food security in the very near future.
“Planting for Food and Jobs 2.0 is a five year integrated and comprehensive programme designed to meet our food needs as a nation, and I am confident that in five years, which is 2028, Ghana will be food sufficient and resilient. Government will continue to do its part and provide the necessary resources for this success. For instance in 2024, Government is seeking to provide Ghs10 billion for the Agric sector,” he revealed.
Awards
15 farmers and fishers were honoured at the National Farmers Day Awards, with Madam Charity Akortia from the Agona West District of the Central Region walking away with the Ghs 1 million as her prize after being adjudged, after a rigorous national exercise, as National Best Farmer for 2023. She takes over from Nana Yaw Sarpong Siriboe I, Akyempimhene of the Juaben Traditional Area, who was the 3rd youngest winner of the Award since its inception.
The Global Network of Export-Import Banks and Development Finance Institutions (G-NEXID) successfully held its sixth (6th) Exchange Programme, hosted by the Ghana Export – Import Bank (GEXIM) Bank in Accra from March 22 to 23 March.
The event brought together member institutions, partner organisations and Ghanaian public entities to advance dialogue on South-South trade, investment and development finance, while also creating opportunities for knowledge-sharing and institutional cooperation.
Organised as a capacity-building and networking platform, the 2026 edition of the G-NEXID Exchange focused on GEXIM’s experience in developing innovative solutions to promote intra-African and extra-African trade.
It also highlighted trade and investment opportunities in Ghana, particularly in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and broader national development initiatives.
The Exchange Programme forms part of G-NEXID’s mandate to foster cooperation among export-import banks and development finance institutions in support of South-South trade and investment.
This 6th edition follows earlier successful programmes hosted by India Exim Bank (2016), BNDES (2017), Indonesia Eximbank (2018), Afreximbank (2019) and Saudi EXIM Bank (2025).
On the first day, participants were presented with G-NEXID institutional information and received an update on the Network’s 2026 work programme.
There were a series of substantive presentations, including an overview of the Ghanaian economy by the Ministry of Finance, with particular attention to debt-related challenges; a presentation by the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), on investment opportunities in the country; and institutional presentations by GEXIM and Development Bank Ghana (DBG) on their respective mandates, initiatives, products and services.
Discussions during the sessions underscored strong interest in sector-focused webinars and business dialogues, particularly in agribusiness value chains such as poultry and rice.
Participants also emphasized the importance of continued information exchange and the sharing of best practices, especially in the area of guarantees.
The second day opened with a presentation on the 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme, a national economic transformation strategy launched by President John Dramani Mahama in July 2025.
The initiative aims to enhance economic productivity through continuous industrial activity, accelerated export development and strategic import substitution.
As the programme is expected to mobilise both private and development capital, it presents concrete opportunities for G-NEXID members in areas such as co-financing, guarantees, trade finance and technical cooperation.
The programme also featured institutional presentations by guest organisations, namely the African Guarantee and Economic Cooperation Fund (FAGACE) and the West African Development Bank (BOAD), which shared their mandates, initiatives, products and services.
Following these exchanges, the G-NEXID Secretariat held bilateral discussions with both institutions as part of the Network’s ongoing membership drive.
Participants further benefited from a presentation by the Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank (TDB), as well as a showcase of GEXIM’s key pipeline projects.
On the margins of the Exchange Programme, G-NEXID members also held their 20th Annual General Assembly Meeting to review progress and discuss strategic priorities.
Following the event, participants joined the GEXIM@10 International Conference, held from March 24-25, 2026 under the theme, “A Decade of Enabling Export Trade and Industrial Transformation: Resetting GEXIM for the Next Frontier.”
The conference provided an important platform for exploring how Ghana can strengthen its transition from a primary commodity exporter to a more competitive player in value-added trade and industrial development.
Source – G-NEXID
President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, signed five bills including three amendment bills passed by Parliament into law.
They are: Security and Intelligence Agencies Bill, 2025; University of Engineering and Agricultural Sciences Bill, 2025; Ghana Deposit Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2025; Growth and Sustainability Levy (Amendment) Bill, 2026; and Education Regulatory Bodies (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
In a brief remark after assenting to the bills, President Mahama explained that the Security and Intelligence Agencies Act, 2026, scraps the Office of Minister of National Security and frees the President’s to appoint any Minister to supervise the security agencies.
He said it also reverses the name of the office of National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), to the original name, Bureau of National Intelligence, (BNI).
This the President said, addresses the confusion between that security agency and a well-known Ghanaian financial institution, the National Investment Bank.
President Mahama also noted that the University of Engineering and Agricultural Sciences Act, 2026, establishes another University in the Eastern Region, at Bonsu, with three campuses – the main campus at Bonsu in the Eastern Region, with the second campus to be cited at Ohawu in the Oti Region.
The third, the Presdient assed will be located at Acherensua in the Ahafo Region.
Touching on the Amendment to the Growth and Sustainability Levy Act, the President said, “As you’re aware, the act was amended to increase it from 1% to 3%, and so this act reduces it again. That is the levy on mining companies. It reduces it again to 1%, because of the introduction of the sliding scale of royalties.”
He also spoke to the passage of the Government Education Regulatory Bodies Amendment Act, emphasising that amends Act 1023 to grant greater flexibility to private tertiary institutions and the option to Charter.
The Ghana Deposit Protection Amendment Act, the President concluded, is an amendment to an original act that was supposed to guarantee deposits held in commercial banks or financial institutions.
It basically expands protection to include mobile money wallets and other digital platforms, ensuring a wider scope of digital financial assets are secured.
The signing ceremony, was witnessed by the Clerk of Parliament, Mr. Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, Secretary to the President, Dr Callistus Mahama, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Dr Dominic Akrutinga Ayine, Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, Joyce Bawa Mogtari, a Senior Presidential Advisor and a Special Aide to the President, Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, and the Vice President, Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang.
