The Minister for Agriculture, Eric Opoku, has revealed that the government is set to inject $20 million into 12 selected districts across the five Northern Regions to bolster food and nutrition security in the Northern-Savannah ecological zone.
The funding, a grant from the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme (GAFSP), will support the initiative.
Speaking at the project launch in Tamale, Minister Opoku emphasized that transformative growth in the agricultural sector requires deliberate efforts to overcome existing challenges.
“Ghana’s agricultural sector, though full of potential, continues to face numerous constraints that hinder its ability to drive socio-economic development, create jobs, and ensure sustainable food systems. The government recognises that transformative growth cannot occur without deliberate efforts to enhance productivity,” he stated.
The initiative will focus on 12 districts across six regions: Tamale Metro, Mion, Savelugu, Nanton, West Gonja, East Mamprusi, Mamprugu Moagduri, Bawku West, Wa Municipal, Nandom, Sissala East, and Krachi East. These districts were selected to ensure a concentrated and measurable impact.
The project is expected to benefit at least 50,000 households, with special emphasis on 30,000 women and youth. It aims to increase climate-smart local food production, focusing on staple crops such as maize, rice, soybean, cowpea, and groundnut, while introducing year-round vegetable farming through solar-powered irrigation systems. “The objective is to enhance food and nutrition security, especially for women, youth, and vulnerable groups,” the Minister explained.
The project builds on the successful interventions of the Savannah Investment Program, broadening its reach, improving livelihoods, and contributing to the government’s vision of sustainable and resilient food systems.
Key areas include improving access to finance, strengthening the poultry value chain, reducing imports, and providing solar-powered small-scale irrigation and input support.
Notably, the initiative also targets Senior High School farms, with plans to provide 20 solar-powered boreholes to selected schools to improve school farming systems and enhance feeding programs.
Northern Regional Minister Ali Adolf John highlighted that agricultural growth drives rural development and called for collaborative efforts to ensure the success of the project.
Source: Martina Bugri, Tamale
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