The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, has highlighted the government’s commitment to restructuring Ghana’s agricultural sector for long-term growth and resilience.
He stressed that the agricultural sector is set for a major overhaul as government rolls out bold reforms.
Mr. Opoku said this overhaul is positioned to boost food production, create jobs, and reduce import dependency.
He made this known at the Government Accountability Series in Accra on Monday, November 24, 2025.
“The past ten months have been a period of urgent action, bold reforms, and determined implementation. Under the visionary leadership of H.E. John Dramani Mahama, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture has not only diagnosed the deep-rooted challenges of our agricultural system, but has also begun the necessary groundwork to restructure that system for the future.
“From institutional farming campaigns, farmer cooperatives, irrigation development, value addition, agricultural mechanisation, to weather prediction systems, the Ministry has laid the critical cornerstones for a resilient, productive, and inclusive food economy,” Mr. Opoku explained.
He expressed concern about the country’s overreliance on food imports despite having the capacity to cultivate them locally.
“Our rural youth still migrate in search of jobs that agriculture can provide. Our farmers still face risks that can be prevented with the right investment, tools, information, and access, and our economy remains vulnerable to external shocks that a strong domestic food system can buffer.”
He disclosed that this has motivated the ministry’s focus over the next year on some key priorities.
These include the consolidation and expansion of Feed Ghana interventions, strengthening agricultural research and innovation systems, and public-private partnerships for agro-industrialisation.
Other priorities are climate resilience and sustainable land use, job creation and youth employment, and digitalisation of agricultural services.
In all these endeavours, the minister stated that the government remains guided by the vision of President John Mahama that agriculture must no longer be seen as a way of life, but as a business.
He underscored this as a strategic growth sector that will drive employment, industrialisation, and food sovereignty for the country.
“On behalf of the Ministry, I Excellency and the good people of Ghana that we are committed to delivering results with urgency, integrity, and accountability.
“We are fully aware that the mandate we hold is not just administrative — it is generational. It is about transforming the fortunes of our farmers, empowering the youth, reducing our import dependency, and ensuring that every Ghanaian child, regardless of where they are born, can access nutritious, affordable and locally grown food.”
Mr. Opoku expressed appreciation to the ministry’s partners — bilateral and multilateral institutions, traditional authorities, farmer-based organisations, private agribusinesses, and most importantly, farmers whose resilience continues to inspire us all.
