Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto
Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, says boosting private sector investment in agribusinesses in Ghana is vital for the transformation of the country’s economy.
Dr Afriyie Akoto said this on Thursday in Accra in a speech read on his behalf at the opening ceremony of a stakeholder consultative meeting organized by Grow Africa and Private Enterprise Federation (PEF) of Ghana.
The meeting was aimed at enlisting the private sector practitioners in the agricultural value chain in Ghana to discuss options to enhance opportunities and increase private sector investments in the sector.
According to the minister, it was no longer acceptable for agriculture to be left in the hands of smallholder farmers and the aged.
He said it was about time private entrepreneurs were encouraged to partner the smallholder farmers to increase productivity, market access and development of agro industry.
This, the Minister said, will culminate in wealth and job creation in Ghana, adding that government was making conscious efforts to boost private sector investment in agriculture.
“Government’s efforts at providing the necessary policies and programmes to boost private sector investment are expressed in many of the interventions in the agricultural sector,” Dr. Afriyie Akoto explained.
According to him, “One such example is the Ghana Commercial Agricultural Project (GCAP), which is aimed at providing public infrastructure such as land and water systems development to leverage private sector investment.”
Close collaboration
The Minister reiterated the need for a close collaboration between government and private players in the sector, saying “the partnership between public and private sector needs to be strengthened to take advantage of the opportunities.”
He said “the renewed efforts to accelerate agricultural development through increased public sector investment and promotion of private sector investment need to be embraced by all.”
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Grow Africa, William Asiko, indicated that efforts must be made to enhance the contribution of agriculture to Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
According to him, in order for agribusiness to be successful, there was the need for a strong alignment of the efforts of government with farmers, financiers and investors’ efforts.
By Melvin Tarlue