Cabinet will soon approve a National Agribusiness Policy designed to anchor the government’s push for value addition in the agricultural sector.
President John Dramani Mahama revealed this on Monday at the Presidential Dialogue with the Private Sector in Accra, where he outlined the government’s industrial transformation strategy.
“The Cabinet will soon approve the National Agribusiness Policy to anchor our aim of value addition,” President Mahama stated.
The President explained that industrialization requires secure land tenure and protection of agricultural resources, noting that the government will implement sector-specific actions to support agribusiness development.
He announced that the government will fast-track agro-industrial land allocation to provide businesses with access to litigation-free land for establishing processing facilities.
President Mahama disclosed that commercial contract farming frameworks will be established to support farmers and agro-processors in forming reliable supply relationships.
He stated that the government will expand irrigation systems to increase agricultural productivity and reduce dependence on rain-fed farming.
The President announced that post-harvest infrastructure for preservation and storage will be developed to reduce losses and improve value retention in the agricultural value chain.
“For agro-processing sector, commercial contract farming frameworks, expanded irrigation, post-harvest infrastructure for preservation and storage, fast-track agro-industrial land allocation,” President Mahama outlined.
He emphasized that land reform is absolutely essential for the country’s economic transformation, noting that secure land tenure enables long-term investment in agricultural enterprises.
The President announced that the government will accelerate the creation of litigation-free industrial land banks to provide businesses with access to secure land for operations.
He stated that the government will reform land tenure to support commercial contract farming, enabling farmers and processors to enter into binding agreements backed by legal frameworks.
President Mahama disclosed that the government will strengthen action against illegal mining and sand winning to protect agricultural land and water resources from degradation.
He announced that investment in storage and cold chain infrastructure will be prioritized to enable agricultural products to be preserved and transported without significant losses.
The President noted that the National Agribusiness Policy will work in tandem with other reforms including the 24-hour economy initiative, which has now been established with the signing of the Authority Bill into law.
He explained that the policy aims to transform Ghana from a raw commodity exporter to a value-added producer, ensuring that agricultural products are processed locally before export.
President Mahama stated that the African Continental Free Trade Area provides a market opportunity for processed agricultural products, but access alone does not guarantee competitiveness.
He emphasized that energy reform, financing reform, and enforcement reform are all essential strategies for making Ghana competitive under AfCFTA and positioning the country as West Africa’s production hub.
The President called on the private sector to invest and scale up domestic production, create additional Ghanaian jobs, prioritize local content, and invest in skills development to support the agribusiness transformation agenda
Richard Aniagyei, ISD
