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Setting the pace in Agribusiness…The Mariseth story
Agribusiness trialblazer Mariam Twumasi
Marian Ofori Twumasi is an established young female farmer moving steadily towards global recognition with her company, Mariseth Farms.
Mariseth Farms, an acronym of Marian and Seth (husband’s name) was founded in 2016 and has since grown to become one of the biggest suppliers of palm fruits, palm oil, maize, soya beans and other commodities to companies and households within Accra, Tema and beyond.
Operating on over 400 acre-land at Bibiani in the Western North Region and Asamankese in the Eastern Region, Mariseth Farms is setting the pace within the Agriculture sector.
The 35-year-old Mariam Twumasi, the 2021 National Best Youth Farmer is living the dream of making her farm, the hub for all natural produce (crops and livestock) in Ghana.
The dream, however, started in 2009 at the University of Ghana (UG) where she pursued Business Administration (Accounting).
Though, she had no knowledge about Agriculture, she was determined to venture into the sector and be successful, turning her main course of study into just an additional skill to her now real profession.
She approached the business as a hobby in 2009. She would visit farms with the desire to access some acres of land to start her own. She became successful eventually after securing three acres of land at Asamankese to start a Cocoa farm.
The former student of St. Roses Secondary School at Akwatia, near Asamankese chose the area since it was closer to Accra.
While in the university, she managed to save her pocket money together with some money she made out of her part-time teaching job to secure the land.
The plan was to go into Cocoa farming since she benefitted from Cocoa scholarship due to her father’s job. She later realised Cocoa was long-term so she had to do maize and other short-term crops while seeking for funds to support the long-term Cocoa project.
She then decided to go into some form of business, which was buying plantains from the villages in the area to Accra to sell.
That led to a decision to plant her own plantains and maize which she sold to make money to support her farm.
Mrs Twumasi later expanded the farm to seven acres in Asamankese, in 2012 when she completed university.
It was at that time she met her husband, Mr Seth Ofoe Twumasi who she described as her business partner. She sold the Agribusiness idea to Mr Twumasi which he has since supported.
Mr Twumasi managed to convince chiefs of his hometown, Nkronua at Bibiani in the Western North Region to allocate lands to them to start their farm project which was successful with an initial allocation of 10 acres to start with palm plantation.
The chiefs later realised she was doing well and granted her full access; which gave her over 400 acres of oil palm plantation and about 1000 acres yet-to-be cultivated land.
After a few years, she is able to sell some of the fruits, process some into palm oil and palm kernel oil and manage three fish ponds (catfish), 50 bee hives, livestock, poultry and other facilities on the same farm.
Eventually, she moved into big time commodities after the company, Mariseth was registered in 2016.
She also supplies soya beans, shea nuts, cashew as well as maize to companies and clients mostly in Tema and Accra.
Aside winning the National Best Youth Farmer award in 2021, she was awarded the Best Oil Palm Farmer in 2019, the first runner up, Municipal Best Farmer in 2020, Outstanding Woman in Agribusiness (GOWA 2020) the Change Champion and Young Agri-Preneur of the Year in 2022 and other recognitions. She is looking forward to winning more awards in 2024.
Marian got married to Mr Twumasi in 2013 and together, they have four beautiful girls. She described her husband as a pillar.
In the next five years, she would want to own a Processing Plant in the Western North Region to serve the oil palm farms in the area and a Mariseth Farm Village which would among other essentials have a storage facility.
She advised young people to take advantage of government initiatives in Agriculture and venture into the sector because it is very lucrative.
By Michael D. Abayateye
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.
