Dr. Bryan Acheampong
The role of Development Partners (DPs) under the Planting for Food and Jobs Phase II (PFJ 2.0) is crucial to the vision of the government in ensuring food security. Their role cannot be overemphasized regarding financial, technical, and knowledge support to promote agricultural development and improve food security.
The PFJ 2.0 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 the five-year timeframe. While a huge component of the investment will come from the private sector, complementary public sector investments are needed to catalyze the transformation agenda.
These include infrastructure such as irrigation, storage for grain and fresh produce, agriculture roads, research into high-yielding climate-smart seeds and other inputs, data for planning and as evidence to support decision-making, capacity building for programme delivery, and value chain actors.
In the coming days, the Minister for Agriculture, Dr. Bryan Acheampong, has put together a Presidential Round Table meeting with various DPs in Ghana to explore possible areas of collaboration and cooperation. The meeting is looking forward to seeking support in the form of partners providing funding, research, and infrastructure development to be directed toward improving agricultural productivity, enhancing value chains, and promoting sustainable agricultural practices.
Again, the Ministry will be looking forward to technical assistance, technical expertise, and capacity-building support to strengthen the skills and knowledge of farmers, areas of research and innovation cannot be overlooked under PFJ 2.0 this is going to help identify and promote new technologies, farming practices, and crop varieties.
The support will contribute to increased productivity, resilience to climate change, and improved agricultural practices.
Other areas of interest are market access and trade facilitation, the support of DPs initiatives will improve market access for farmers and enhance trade facilitation in the agriculture sector. This includes supporting market infrastructure development, promoting value addition, and facilitating access to regional and international markets.
Above all, monitoring and evaluation is crucial to determine the impact of agricultural programs and projects. MoFA will be looking forward to DPs providing technical expertise to assess the effectiveness of interventions, identify areas for improvement, and ensure accountability and transparency in the use of funds.
Overall, DPs involvement in the Ghanaian agriculture sector will help to drive sustainable agricultural development, improve food security, and enhance the livelihoods of farmers and rural communities.
By Bagbara Tanko, Head of PR, Ministry of Food and Agriculture