Ghana’s partnership with development partners critical for agricultural growth – Akufo-Addo
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has lauded Ghana’s development partners for their contribution to the growth of the country’s agricultural sector.
The government, he said, was committed to sustaining that collaboration given the vital role the sector played in eradicating poverty and hunger.
The President, in an address at the Presidential Breakfast Meeting with Development Partners on the implementation of phase two of the Planting for Food and Jobs (PfJ) initiative, in Accra, said achieving food security was a priority of the nation.
The PfJ phase two is seen as a vehicle for transforming Ghana’s agriculture.
It outlines interventions aimed at increasing production and productivity levels of selected commodities to reach targeted self-sufficiency levels within a five-year period.
While a huge component of the investment will come from the private sector, complementary public sector investments are needed to catalyze the transformation agenda.
President Nana Akufo-Addo noted that the challenges facing the agricultural sector was multi-faceted.
This is why the authorities would continue to dialogue and liaise with the development partners to address the challenges inhibiting the sustainable growth of sector.
The President underscored the need for the international partners to deepen collaboration with Ghanaian research institutions, farmer entities and stakeholders.
This, he said, was crucial to engender technology transfer and shared experiences to unlock the nation’s agricultural potential.
The purpose of the Presidential Breakfast Meeting was to assess the development partners’ project alignment with the PfJ phase two, identify collaboration opportunities and emphasise their role in boosting agriculture.
Organised under the auspices of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), the programme was also intended to proffer innovative ways of enhancing job creation and food security.
International organisations taking part in the meeting included the United States Agency for International (USAID), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Bank.
Currently, Ghana’s development partners are implementing over one hundred agricultural projects across the country worth several millions of cedis.
Dr. Bryan Acheampong, Minister of Food and Agriculture said monitoring and evaluation was crucial to determine the impact of agricultural programmes and projects.
Therefore, the MoFA will be looking forward to the development partners to provide technical expertise to assess the effectiveness of interventions.
This was also necessary to identify areas for improvement and ensure accountability and transparency in fund use.
Overall, the development partners’ involvement in the Ghanaian agriculture sector is expected to help drive sustainable agricultural development, improve food security, and enhance the livelihoods of farmers and rural communities.
Source: GNA