World Vision Ghana officials and stakeholders at the Market Actors Forum in Tamale
World Vision Ghana, has held a Market Actors Forum under its ‘Everyone THRIVE’ project to strengthen market systems and advance inclusive economic growth in Tamale, Northern Region.
The forum, held under the theme “Partnering for Prosperity: Strengthening Market Linkages for All,” brought together stakeholders from government, the private sector, financial institutions, farmer organisations, development partners, and academia.
The National Director of World Vision Ghana, Dr. Tinah T. Mukundah, at the forum said the organisation’s poverty-reduction agenda continues through Everyone THRIVE, an initiative launched in 2024 that targets about 160,000 households and aims to double the income of 400,000 people over three years.
She said Everyone THRIVE believes in partnering for transformation by equipping households with the capabilities, connections, and confidence to lift themselves permanently above the poverty line.
“Our core values are that we value people and work in partnership. We see farmers, savings groups, producer groups and young agripreneurs not as project beneficiaries but as partners and co‑creators of our projects. We are therefore working with government, the private sector, civil society, academics, research institutions and development partners for a common purpose,” she said.
Dr. Mukundah urged the private sector and financial institutions to develop models that treat rural smallholders as investable producers, and called for enabling policy environments that prioritise smallholder market access, rural infrastructure, agricultural insurance, and fair pricing protections.
She assured participants that World Vision Ghana is committed to building systems that work for all stakeholders.
Dr. Peter Boamah Otokunor, Director of Presidential Initiatives in Agriculture and Agribusiness at the Presidency, said President John Dramani Mahama’s leadership has consistently placed agriculture and agribusiness at the centre of national transformation.
Commenting on the tomato crisis, Dr. Otokunor said Ghana consumes about 1.3 million tonnes of tomatoes annually, produces roughly 380,000 tonnes, and imports about 75% of its raw tomatoes from Burkina Faso.
According to him, the government requires approximately 70,000 hectares of irrigated land cultivating high-yielding tomato varieties (about 20 tonnes per hectare) to fully meet national demand.
He added that the government has initiated trade and diplomatic discussions to lift the temporary ban affecting supplies.
Dr. Otokunor revealed that the government does not view agriculture as a fallback option, but as a frontier of opportunity with immense potential for innovation, investment, job creation, and economic transformation.
FROM Eric Kombat, Tamale