The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) is advancing efforts to establish a legal framework to regulate and strengthen agricultural extension and advisory services in Ghana.
The Ministry, on Thursday convened a high-level governmental and inter-ministerial engagement on the proposed Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services Bill to review, validate and harmonise stakeholder inputs before the draft legislation is submitted to Cabinet and Parliament.
The proposed bill seeks to establish a National Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services Council to regulate extension professionals, set standards for training and practice, enforce codes of ethics and ensure compliance within the sector.
It also provides for the regulation of public, private and non-state organisations delivering agricultural extension and advisory services through a dedicated regulatory unit under the Directorate of Agricultural Extension Services.
The initiative is expected to improve coordination among service providers, enhance quality assurance, strengthen farmer access to advisory services and support the implementation of the Government’s Feed Ghana Programme.
Mr John Dumelo, the Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, said the agricultural sector remained central to Ghana’s development, providing livelihoods, supporting trade and exports, and contributing to food security and economic growth.
He noted, however, that the sector continued to face challenges, including low productivity, limited adoption of improved technologies, weak farmer-market linkages and the effects of climate change.
“These challenges cannot be addressed through input supply alone. They require a strong, modern, professional and responsive extension and advisory services system,” he said.
Mr Dumelo described agricultural extension services as critical to the success of the Feed Ghana Programme, noting that extension officers played key roles as technical advisors, trainers, innovators and trusted partners of farmers.
“The bill is not merely about increasing the number of extension officers. It is about transforming the entire agricultural support system in Ghana,” he added.
Madam Prospera Anku, Acting Director, Agricultural Extension Services, said the bill was essential to improving the quality of extension delivery and productivity across agricultural value chains.
She said the engagement sought to align policy objectives and institutional mandates across ministries and agencies to ensure a coherent national approach to agricultural extension.
The meeting, she said, was also reviewing provisions relating to extension delivery models, funding mechanisms, quality assurance and collaboration among public, private and non-state actors.
Dr Betty Simawua Annan, Country Director of AGRA Ghana, said changes within the agricultural sector had increased the involvement of private service providers, farmer-based organisations, civil society groups, research institutions and development partners in supporting farmers.
The evolving landscape required “a stronger, more coordinated and more inclusive legal and institutional framework” to guide agricultural extension services, she said.
Dr Annan noted that AGRA had supported MoFA in developing guidelines and standards for extension and advisory services, which were now being translated into legislation to establish a harmonised and coordinated extension system for the country.
She urged stakeholders to contribute constructively to ensure the final bill was inclusive, accountable and capable of supporting agricultural transformation, particularly for smallholder farmers.
Source : GNA
