Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto
The largest seed manufacturing organization in Africa, AfricaSeeds, has honoured Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Minister of Food and Agriculture, for promoting food security and improving technology in agriculture in Ghana and the rest of Africa.
The award, presented to him during the International Conference on ‘Seed Knowledge Gateway Project’ at Akosombo in the Eastern Region recently, was in “recognition of his brave, exemplary and innovative stewardship in seed development in Ghana which has opened the way to an accelerated advancement in the emergence of seed industries across Africa.”
The Executive Director of AfricaSeeds, Dr. Kouame Miezan, who presented the award, said the Minister was specially selected for successfully implementing the flagship programme of government, ‘Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ), which was introduced in 2017.
The programme, according to the organization, has not only increased the demand for quality seeds and other inputs for thousands of smallholder farmers in Ghana, but revitalized the once dormant agricultural sector of the country.
The adoption of seed technology in Africa in general and Ghana, particularly is very low, with only 11% of farmers in Ghana said to be patronizing improved seeds.
The advent of the PFJ is therefore seen as a major breakthrough, with an estimated one million farmers expected to benefit from government’s subsidized programme by the end of the 2019 crop season.
It further said through the PFJ initiative, Ghana is now on the path to becoming seed self-sufficient to boost food security and create employment.
The three-day conference, which is being attended by representatives across Africa, is aimed at harnessing the technology of various stakeholders to transform agriculture on the African continent.
It is being facilitated by organizations such as the Swiss Development Cooperation, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), African Development Bank (AfDB), African Union (AU) Commission, among others.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri