By Ashiadey Dotse
The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) has asked the Ministry of Finance under the leadership of Dr. Cassiel Ato Baah Forson to urgently reconsider its decision to withdraw Ghana from the West Africa Food System Resilience Programme (FSRP), in a statement issued on Monday, September 28, 2026.
MoFA says the decision, communicated to the World Bank in a letter dated September 23, 2026, was taken without prior consultation with the ministry and could affect ongoing agricultural projects and the government’s Feed Ghana Programme.
In a letter to the Finance Ministry, MoFA said the government has outstanding contractual commitments under the FSRP amounting to GH¢643.87 million.
The amount includes GH¢520.26 million under the International Development Association (IDA) credit and GH¢123.61 million under the FS2030 Trust Fund.
MoFA warned that withdrawing from the programme would not cancel the government’s existing contractual obligations.
It said without an alternative source of funding, the government could face delays, additional costs or claims if contracts are suspended or terminated.
The ministry said critical irrigation infrastructure projects, including rehabilitation works at Weta, Vea, Kpong and selected inland valleys, could also be affected.
The concerns follow directives issued by the World Bank on September 24, 2026, after receiving the withdrawal notice from the Finance Ministry.
The World Bank directed the suspension of all activities and procurement financed under the FSRP’s IDA credit and Recipient-Executed Trust Funds.
It also directed the suspension of tomato seed procurement and activities under the Norwegian grant, as well as micro-irrigation and related activities.
Under the FS2030 Trust Fund, the World Bank directed the suspension of recruitment for personnel including an embedded adviser for the Feed Ghana Network Operation Centre, members of the Feed Ghana Brigade and a data analyst.
The Bank also directed that further activities relating to digitisation, farmer registration and support for the Feed Ghana Secretariat be stopped.
MoFA said the suspension could delay the implementation of the Feed Ghana Programme, particularly activities linked to farmer registration, beneficiary identification, data analysis and the delivery of interventions.
It also warned that delays in tomato seed and micro-irrigation activities could affect farmers because cultivation depends on seasonal planting periods.
The Ministry is therefore calling on the Finance Ministry to rescind its decision to withdraw from the FSRP and formally retract the notice sent to the World Bank.
MoFA further wants the Finance Ministry and the World Bank to agree on a way to protect ongoing projects and allow affected activities, procurement and recruitment to resume.
The Ministry has also proposed that the two ministries urgently reconcile all outstanding contractual commitments, payments and affected activities.
MoFA said funding for the Pwalugu project should be pursued through an arrangement that does not undermine existing FSRP commitments or other agricultural interventions.
The ministry has requested an urgent engagement with the Finance Ministry to prevent further disruption to the Feed Ghana Programme and the wider agricultural sector.
