News
A new dawn for Ghana’s Agribusiness sector and export value chain
Players within the agricultural sector and export value chain have a lot to cheer about following President John Dramani Mahama’s appointment of Hon. Sylvester Adinam Mensah as Acting Chief Executive of the country’s leading policy and development bank, the Ghana Export – Import Bank (GEXIM).
News of the appointment of the consummate finance professional and former senior banker, prominent for his expertise in public sector banking, fund management, strategic financial management, and governance with a proven record of accomplishment of delivering innovative financial solutions was received with excitement across various sectors.
The Ghana Export-Import Bank Act 2016 (Act 911) was promulgated to establish the Ghana Export – Import Bank with a mandate to facilitate international trade, improve export competitiveness, enhance foreign exchange earnings and improve balance of trade. In addition, the Bank is to play a pivotal role in Ghana’s quest for a feasible and sustainable export led economy.
Under Hon. Mensah’s leadership, the Bank’s core strategic direction, is expected to focus on prioritizing agribusiness and introducing carefully designed initiatives to bridge the export gap to foster Ghana’s greater participation in global export value chains, from small and medium-sized enterprises to larger corporations.
Over the years, agriculture has remained the major driver of Ghana’s economy and the primary way the majority of Ghanaians earn their living. As an agrarian economy, it has become important to focus on agribusiness in order to enhance the development of the value chain, and build the ecosystem to our advantage.
Agribusiness, as we are aware, examines the structure and organization of the agricultural food sector as well as the entire value chain extending from farm inputs, through on-farm businesses, to processing, transportation, credit and marketing.
In addition, Agribusiness plays a crucial role in the world economy, responsible for producing, packaging, preserving and distributing food and other agricultural products to consumers and industries worldwide. For this reason, we cannot afford to neglect agribusiness as a priority for the country.
Low and medium income countries always battle with currency depreciation due to unfavourable balance of trade (BoT) which also serves as a major indicator of economic growth potential and an important part of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). To reduce our trade deficit will require a bold step to increase exports to earn more foreign currency from the goods and services exported.
In realizing this, Ghanaian businesses are to be aided to leverage on innovation and technology to improve their processes to be able to compete favourably in the global marketplace.
This will ultimately lead to the building of local capacity, enormously contribute to Ghana’s industrialisation, and export drive agenda. Without a doubt, these will certainly culminate into job creation and the introduction of special purpose initiatives targeting the youth and women to benefit from jobs to bae created.
South Africa’s Minister of Police Professor Firoz Cachalia, has strongly
condemned the recent xenophobic acts of violence and intimidation directed at Ghanaians and other foreign nationals within the Republic of South Africa.
“These actions are not only unlawful, but they stand in direct opposition to the values of dignity, equality, and human rights upon which our democracy is founded. South Africa is a constitutional state governed by the rule of law. No individual or group has the authority to take the law into their own hands, irrespective of grievances or frustrations,” he noted.
The Ministry of Police advised the members of the public that acts of xenophobia, violence, looting, or intimidation will not be tolerated under any circumstances.
According to South African Police Service (SAPS) has.been instructed to act decisively and without hesitation in addressing these incidents.
All those found to be participating in, inciting, or supporting such criminal conduct will be identified, apprehended, and brought before the courts.
The Ministry of Police called on all communities to remain calm and to reject any attempts to sow division and hatred among residents of our country.
The Ministry further urged community leaders, civil society organisations, and all stakeholders to work together with law enforcement agencies to prevent further violence and to promote dialogue and understanding.
The Government of Ghana, through the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), has commenced the disbursement of grants to beneficiaries ?(2025 cohort) under The Adwumawura Programme, an ambitious national initiative designed to support youth entrepreneurship, stimulate business growth, and drive job creation.
Launched to empower young Ghanaians with the entrepreneurial skills and resources needed to build decent and sustainable businesses.
The Adwumawura Programme, has to date, successfully trained and mentored 10,887 beneficiaries across the country.
These beneficiaries underwent 5 weeks intensive entrepreneurial training, followed by 6 months structured post-training mentorship to strengthen their business models and operational capacity.
As part of the transition from training to funding, a rigorous and transparent selection process was implemented to identify high-potential businesses for grant support.
A Grant Management Committee was duly inaugurated to oversee this process and ensure fairness, accountability, and merit-based selection.
The Committee is composed of representatives from academia, government institutions, financial agencies, development partners, and the private sector, ensuring a balanced and credible oversight structure.
Following the training phase, beneficiaries were required to submit detailed business plans outlining their proposed businesses and Innovations. These submissions underwent an initial one-week screening process, during which applications were assessed based on key criteria, including:Scalability – the potential for business growth and expansion, Job creation potential – the ability to create at least two decent employment opportunities, Sustainability – long-term viability of the business model Feasibility – practicality and readiness for implementation
Shortlisted applicants proceeded to a nationwide pitching phase, where they presented their business ideas before the Grant Management Committee. This stage provided an opportunity for further evaluation and validation of proposals, culminating in comprehensive assessment reports to guide final selection decisions.
Following this rigorous process, 3212 successful beneficiaries have been selected across all regions of the country
The commencement of grant disbursement marks a significant milestone in The Adwumawura Programme’s implementation, reinforcing Government’s commitment to nurturing entrepreneurship, reducing youth unemployment, and promoting inclusive economic growth.
According to NEIP remains dedicated to providing continuous support to beneficiaries through post-disbursement monitoring and business advisory services to ensure the sustainability and success of funded enterprises.
Young entrepreneaurs who could not make it in the year 2025. The 2026 cohort application portal will soon be opened.
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