By Emmanuel Mensah-Abludo
The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, has assured Ghana’s partners, the European Union (EU) and Agence Française de Développement (AFD), of the government’s unwavering commitment to ensuring effective coordination, integration, and sustainability of two projects being funded by the EU and AFD. The programmes are the Agricultural Water Management (AWM) Project and the Boost Ecological Transition Towards Enhanced Revenue (BETTER) Project.
Mr. Opoku gave the assurance during presentations and discussions on the two projects with stakeholders in Wa in the Upper West Region. The grant for the Agricultural Water Management Project is 47 million euros, while that for the BETTER Project is 19 million euros.
Mr. Opoku indicated that Ghana’s stable economic and democratic environment, coupled with the friendly nature of its people, made the country the first English-speaking nation in the world chosen by France for its operations.
He shed light on the two projects, stating: “The Agricultural Water Management Project (AWMP) will be implemented in three regions — Upper West, Savannah, and North East — across 18 districts. The project aims to develop a minimum of 1,000 hectares of irrigated land, directly benefiting at least 6,000 smallholder farmers. Eight new small-scale dams will be constructed, 10 existing dams rehabilitated, and over 45 boreholes developed for irrigation purposes under the AWM project.”
“The BETTER project will be implemented in all five northern regions within nine districts across 90 communities and will leverage the 1,000 hectares of irrigated land to be developed under the AWMP for its 4,500 beneficiaries,” he added.
The Minister acknowledged that Ghana’s agricultural sector faces enormous challenges, including production inefficiencies, lack of infrastructure, limited access to essential inputs, and weak integration within the agricultural value chain.
He noted that in response to these challenges, the Government of Ghana, through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), launched the Agriculture for Economic Transformation Agenda (AETA), aimed at driving the growth and modernisation of the agricultural sector. Its goals include bolstering agribusiness development, securing food availability, mitigating food inflation, increasing export revenues, and creating sustainable job opportunities.
Mr. Opoku announced that to effectively realise this vision, President John Dramani Mahama will officially launch the Feed Ghana Programme in Techiman in the Bono East Region on 12th April 2025, to drive the implementation of the AETA.
The French Ambassador to Ghana, Jules-Armand Aniambossou, expressed appreciation to staff of the French Embassy in Ghana for their dedication to the successful implementation of AFD’s development initiatives. Mr. Aniambossou also stressed the necessity for all parties to build meaningful partnerships anchored on reciprocity and equality.
He said: “And to the partners, in a very respectful way, we like to remind our partners — we French, we are in Africa to build mutual respect based on reciprocity and equality.”
The Upper West Regional Minister, Charles Lwanga Puozuing, pledged that the beneficiary Regional Coordinating Councils were ready to facilitate synergies among stakeholders, enhance monitoring mechanisms, and provide the necessary institutional backing to sustain outcomes from the engagement.
He therefore urged stakeholders at the event — made up of policy experts, development experts, private sector actors, and the media — to actively engage, deliberate, and propose pragmatic solutions that would drive meaningful change in the agricultural landscape.
Mr. Puozuing indicated that the success of the initiatives would not only improve food security and boost income but also place the government on a firm trajectory towards achieving sustainable economic transformation.
The AFD Country Director, Clémentine Dardy, stated that over the past 40 years, AFD has shifted its focus to rural development and agriculture because of the conviction that this move can empower communities and unlock sustainable and inclusive growth.
She added: “In Northern Ghana, where 85% of the population relies on agriculture, we understand that the challenges are immense. We realise that agriculture is not only a way of life but a key to transformation. Our goal is simple yet ambitious — to foster sustainable and inclusive irrigated agriculture that creates opportunities, jobs, and improves livelihoods.”
