Agric Minister signs $1m deal to boost food production and support women in the North

The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr. Eric Opoku, has made a promise. He aims to improve food production in Ghana's five northern regions. This follows a tough farming season due to drought.

Dr. Opoku signed a one-million-dollar funding agreement to support women farmers. The focus is on irrigation and agricultural tools.

During the signing with the Association of Rural Banks Apex Bank (ARB), he highlighted the project's goals. It will fund irrigation systems and tools, especially for women in the Northern and Oti regions.

The Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme (GAFSP) is funding this project. Dr. Opoku expressed gratitude for their generous support of 20 million cedis.

He also thanked the African Development Bank for its partnership and technical help. The project will be implemented across 12 districts in six regions, including the five northern ones and Oti.

Dr. Opoku emphasized that focusing on fewer districts will create a bigger impact. “We aim to achieve maximum and measurable impact,” he stated.

This initiative builds on the success of the Savannah Investment Programme. It seeks to expand proven agricultural methods to benefit more people, especially women and youth.

The project's goals include increasing farmers' incomes, improving nutrition, and empowering women-led households. It will provide better access to climate-smart inputs for crops like maize, rice, soybean, cowpea, and groundnuts.

Additionally, it aims to enhance mechanization by offering smallholder farmers handheld equipment suited to their needs. Solar-powered micro-irrigation kits will also be provided for dry-season vegetable production.

Household poultry farming will be promoted to ensure access to affordable food. A key part of this project is a revolving fund worth one million dollars.

This fund will give smallholder farmers access to low-interest financial services. It supports value chain actors involved in production and product development.

Dr. Opoku noted that this aligns with the government’s Agriculture for Economic Transformation Agenda (AETA). Together with the Feed Ghana programme, these initiatives form a national strategy for sustainable food systems.

The signing of the fund management agreement with ARB Apex Bank is crucial for rollout success. ARB was chosen due to its strong network of rural banks in operational areas.

“This structure offers great potential for reaching our target beneficiaries,” said Dr. Opoku. The revolving fund will particularly aid women's groups growing vegetables and crops like groundnuts and cowpea.

These groups can access affordable credit to expand their production capabilities. Micro-enterprises within the agricultural value chain will also benefit from this fund.

Dr. Opoku highlighted that the revolving fund has an interest rate of just 10 percent with flexible repayment terms. “This makes it accessible to those who need it most,” he added.

He mentioned that this fund complements efforts under Ghana's GIRSAL scheme aimed at reducing risks in agricultural lending.

While optimistic about potential impacts, Dr.Opoku stressed responsible management of funds is essential for success.

“The true impact depends on effective management,” he remarked.
He urged all stakeholders involved in implementation to work urgently and transparently.

Dr.Opoku concluded by thanking development partners for their support.

“Let us continue working together to transform Ghana’s agricultural landscape,” he said.