National Service Authority D-G pledges to make agriculture attractive to the youth

Felix Gyamfi is the Director-General of the National Service Authority (NSA). He has promised to make agriculture appealing to young people. His goal is to help solve food challenges in Ghana.

“We are changing the NSA from a passive institution,” he said. “We want it to engage in agribusiness and train graduates.” This will reduce food imports and create jobs, he assured.

Mr. Gyamfi spoke during a tour of NSA Farms at Abotantire. This site is located in the Sekyere Afram Plains District of Ashanti Region. The NSA is investing heavily in agriculture with partners under the HAPPY Project.

Currently, they are cultivating 4,000 hectares of maize at Abotantire. They plan to plant an equal amount of soybean in the minor season. Additionally, they will seed 100 acres of tomatoes each year.

The NSA aims to farm wherever there is land available. They will collaborate with partners who have tractors and other resources. Mr. Gyamfi mentioned several locations for farming activities across the country.

These include 500 acres of maize at Ejura and 250 acres at Branam. There are also 2,050 acres being cultivated with Akate farms at Amantin. Furthermore, they have 100 acres of tomatoes with partners at Yapei.

In the future, the NSA plans to farm 1,000 acres at Ankaful and 200 acres at Valley View University. They also aim for about 1,000 acres in the Volta Region. Mr. Gyamfi stated that they plan to expand beyond what the HAPPY Project can support.

The Authority will soon build poultry farms near Senior High Schools (SHS) with enough land for eggs and chicken production. On irrigation, Mr. Gyamfi noted significant investments for year-round farming.

He mentioned that they are finding pathways for personnel working on these farms. The NSA is discussing special training opportunities with organizations like GIZ for those interested in agriculture and business development.