President John Mahama
President John Mahama says the country’s economic transformation cannot be realised without a deliberate effort to utilise the resources that abound in the country’s agricultural sector.
Speaking at the Horticulture Expo 2025 in Accra on the theme, “Innovate, Transform, Sustain: Driving Growth in Ghana’s Horticultural Sector,” he said engineering economic renewal that is productive and sustainable must begin from the farms, greenhouses and backyard gardens across the country.
“I firmly believe that the most urgent, inclusive, and transformative development must begin from the ground. Literally from the farms, the greenhouses, the backyard gardens across Ghana, we must engineer an economic renewal that is productive, equitable, and sustainable,” he stressed.
These efforts, according to the President, will yield results if agriculture is supported to move from a smallholder survival mode to value-addition, attracting international competiveness to become a youth driven- enterprise.
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to use its flagship programme dubbed ‘Feed Ghana’ from this year to 2028, to address food insecurity, and over dependence on imports aimed at scaling up greenhouse cultivation and institutional competitive farming.
President Mahama further indicated that the country must be a catalyst for growth of the export sector, calling on Ghanaians, especially the youth, not to see agriculture as a fall back occupation or an afterthought but an occupation of choice for them to own it, live it and thrive in it.
“Today, I’m issuing a clear call. To our development partners, invest with us in infrastructure, agriculture, and skills, not as donors, but as partners. To our financial institutions, I say, be bold, de-risk this sector, and support agribusiness startups with real capital,” he stated.
President of the Federation of Associations of Ghanaian Exporters, Davies Narh Korboe, for his part, said innovation, transformation, and sustainability do not only shape policies but lives as well.
He said a 24-hour business economy will not only increase food, but will deepen operations, create high-quality jobs, and radically enhance the country’s competitiveness on a global stage, while pledging to work with the government, banks, unions, logistics players to improve productivity and export of agriculture products.
“Ghana’s trade imbalance solution is not to print more money, but to export more value. That is why this effort must become a political resource. We must position Ghana as a premium origin for high-value horticulture assets,” he added.
Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), Francis Kojo Kwarteng Arthur, also said the Horticulture Expo does not only represent a vision of agricultural products but also reflects a shared vision for a sustainable, innovative, and competitive multicultural sector that contributes meaningfully to Ghana’s Accelerated Export Development Programme.
He said the Expo will also serve as a vital platform for knowledge exchange, networking, and innovation, for advanced farming technicians and technologies, while providing opportunities for participants to experience the full scope of Ghana’s agricultural expo.
The three-day event, which started on Wednesday, June 11, and ends on Friday, June 13, 2025, will provide opportunity for industry players, producers of agricultural products and stakeholders in the value chain from various parts of the country to showcase their products to visitors.
By Ebenezer K. Amponsah