As Ghana continues to rely heavily on imports particularly rice and wheat, its domestic agricultural production faces mounting pressures, ranging from climate change to post-harvest losses.
The European Union (EU) and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) have highlighted northern Ghana as being particularly vulnerable, with the agricultural sector bearing the brunt of these challenges.
This came to light at the conclusion of a six-year research initiative, spearheaded by the EU, aimed at introducing a modernized agricultural framework built for climate resilience.
With an investment of €183 million into the programme in Ghana, the EU reaffirmed its commitment to agricultural development, especially in the country’s northern regions. The initiative also seeks to promote integrated impact and social transformation by equipping policymakers with data-driven tools to guide long-term decision-making.
Speaking at the closing session of the Resilient Against Climate Change Social Transformation Research and Policy Advocacy (REACH-STR) project, Massimo Mina, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Ghana, underscored the broader ambition of the programme.
“The European Union is investing more than €180 million in the sector of agriculture. There are other components which are actually still ongoing or just starting, notably in the field of irrigation. We know how important and crucial the irrigation is, in particular in the north of the country,” he said.
“We’re also working on preparing new actions for the future, notably looking at the landscape management, which is a very important aspect of our cooperation. And also, some specific value chains, including not only the cocoa, where we’ve been heavily involved, but also the cashew.”
Echoing this vision, Dr. Charity Osei-Amponsah, Deputy Country Representative of IWMI, emphasized that the EU-Ghana agricultural programme was designed to support inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
“Understanding how society evolves allows us to design development plans that respond to real change,” she noted. “With growing mobile access, we can now deliver extension services through apps or voice notes in local languages, ensuring even the most remote farmers stay informed.”
Throughout the programme, researchers developed several practical tools, including an interactive gender and climate vulnerability hotspot map covering all 261 districts in Ghana, a resource aimed at guiding inclusive policy interventions nationwide.
