The Minister-Designate for the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Hon. Eric Opoku, has outlined bold measures to make agriculture appealing to young Ghanaians and boost the sector’s contribution to the nation’s economy.
Speaking during his vetting in Parliament, Hon. Opoku emphasized the importance of transforming agriculture into an attractive and viable career option. “We want to make agriculture attractive to the youth and to everyone in this country,” he stated, highlighting the need for innovative strategies to engage younger generations.
Hon. Opoku proposed a government-led initiative to facilitate access to land for agricultural purposes. Under this plan, the government would acquire land from landowners, prepare it for farming, and allocate it to prospective farmers and investors.
“We intend to acquire the land, prepare it for agricultural purposes, and then hand it over to prospective investors so that we can increase production and drive our nation towards food sufficiency,” he explained.
The initiative aims to address one of the major barriers to youth participation in agriculture—limited access to arable land—while simultaneously enhancing food security.
Hon. Opoku also mentioned the need to recruit more agricultural extension officers to provide technical support to farmers. He noted that the current shortfall in extension services hampers efforts to increase productivity and adopt modern farming practices
