Civil Society Group Arise Ghana is calling for stronger policy and legislative reforms to consolidate gains and address persistent challenges in Ghana’s agriculture sector.
At a press conference on agriculture policy reforms, a leading member, Selorm Dramani said Ghanaians deserve to know what is working, what is not, and how government’s interventions are impacting farmers and food production.
According to the group significant efforts have been made to support the sector, however, more needs to be done to translate the interventions into sustainable improvements for farmers and consumers.
“Ghana has the land, human resources, entrepreneurial talent and agricultural potential to become a major food-producing and agro-processing economy in Africa. What we need is consistency, investment, accountability and a long-term national vision.”
The group also presented what it described as an independent and unbiased assessment of the performance of the Minister for Food and Agriculture, concluding that the Minister has performed well in some areas but still has more work to do.
“So far, the Minister for food and agriculture is on track per our assessment of the policies he is implementing ambitiously. However, it’s equally important we emphasise that the success of his leadership will ultimately be measured not by the number of policy announcements, but by what happen on the farms, in the markets and in the homes of ordinary Ghanaians.”
Arise Ghana also outlined a number of recommendations for the Agriculture Minister, aimed at strengthening policy implementation, improving accountability and delivering better outcomes for the sector.
“As an interventionist Civil Society Organisation, we respectfully call on Hon. Eric Opoku to
prioritise the following:
1. Publish measurable annual targets for the major agricultural programmes.
2. Establish a transparent public monitoring system through which citizens can track programme implementation.
3. Strengthen farmer databases to reduce ghost beneficiaries and improve targeting.
4. Expand irrigation infrastructure and establish clear maintenance arrangements.
5. Improve access to affordable agricultural finance, especially for smallholder farmers and youngagribusiness entrepreneurs.
6. Strengthen agricultural extension services and provide extension officers with adequate logistics.
7. Improve agricultural marketing systems to guarantee farmers reliable and profitable markets.
8. Invest heavily in storage and agro-processing to reduce post-harvest losses.
9. Give women and young people a stronger role in agricultural programmes.
10. Institutionalise agricultural reforms so that successful programmes survive changes in government.”
The group says agriculture must be treated as a long-term national priority, with policies backed by strong institutions and legislation rather than short-term political interventions.
By Samuel Yeboah Adams
