President John Dramani Mahama has appealed financial institutions to be bold, de-risk the agriculture sector, and support agri-business startups with real capital.
He said the Ghana Exim Bank, particularly, must be a catalyst for growth of the export sector.
“Today, I am issuing a clear call. To our development partners, invest with us in infrastructure, agri-tech, and skills, not as donors, but as partners,” President Mahama said in his remarks at the opening of the Ghana Horticulture Expo in Accra.
The three-day event on the theme “Innovate, Transform, Sustain: Driving Growth in Ghana’s Horticultural Sector”, is being organized by the Federation of Associations of Ghanaian Exporters (FAGE).
“To our youth and women, agriculture is not a fallback occupation, but it is an occupation of choice. Own it, live it, and thrive in it,” he said, adding, “to our private sector, I say, invest with vision, align with the government to scale processing certification and export capacity.
“So let us move from conferences to cold chains. Let us move from weds to warehouses. And let us move from policies to productivity. The time is now. We are not starting from zero.”
He said to stabilize the nation’s currency, they must earn more foreign exchange; stating that one of the surest ways was to expand high-value agricultural exports.
President Mahama said:“We are on that path boldly and deliberately. And we shall work together with our exporters to be able to achieve this.”
The President said Ghana exports fresh produce to Europe, the Middle East, and Asia; and that in 2024, Ghana’s non-traditional exports exceeded $3.5 billion, with horticulture at the forefront.
He said their target was to exceed $10 billion by the year 2030, which noted was possible.
To do this, President Mahama said they must shift from aid to trade and from dependence to dominance in the export value chain.
He said under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), they had a single market of 1.4 billion people; and that they must not only trade more, but also produce more; saying and Ghana must lead in this effort.
“Imagine if Liberia grew fresh gingers. Ghana processed these gingers. And Kenya packaged them. And we exported it as one brand to Dubai,” he said.
“This is the African economic ecosystem we must build. Integrated, efficient, and product self-reliant. We are building on the dreams of generations.”
President Mahama said in 1957, Ghana’s Founding President Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah reminded them, he said, “Seek ye first the political kingdom”.
“And today, I say to our exporters and to our nation, seek ye first the productive economy. Let us grow Ghana one fruit, one field, and future at a time,” President Mahama said.
To the nation’s farmers, President Mahama said they were the backbone of this renewal. ‘
“To our youth, you are the heartbeat of our ambition. And to the world, Ghana is open for business, green, export-ready, and growing with purpose.”
Dr Prince Kofi Kludjeson, Executive Chairman of Celltel Networkks Limited, who chaired the occasion, called for leveraging technology in smart farming to optimise various aspects of agriculture as part of efforts to boost efficiency and productivity in Ghana.
Mr Davis Narh Korboe, the President of FAGE, thanked President Mahama for keeping faith with FAGE and working tirelessly to promote the nation’s exports sector.
SOURCE: Access Agric
