Ahodwo Farms has appealed for GH¢2 million in working capital to expand gari production, create jobs and participate fully in the Government’s 24-Hour Economy programme.
Mr Kofi Ansah, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ahodwo Farms, said access to affordable financing would enable the company to increase production, purchase more cassava from local farmers and expand employment, particularly for women.
He made the appeal during a visit to the farm to assess the impact of a loan facility provided to agripreneurs under the Post-COVID-19 Skills Development and Productivity Enhancement Project (PSDPEP), funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB).
Mr Ansah said the company currently operated 20 manual gari frying spots, with each worker capable of producing about 100 kilogrammes of gari daily, depending on the availability of cassava dough.
He said the combined capacity of the farm’s manual and automated fryers enabled it to produce at least four tonnes of gari daily under its current operating arrangement.
Production, he said, could increase to about eight tonnes daily if the company operated a two-shift system, creating additional employment opportunities.
“If we are to produce at full capacity, one cycle will be doing 24 tonnes a week. If we get the benefit of the 24-Hour Economy, whether it is electricity support, and we employ two cycles, we have 20 frying spots, so that alone can employ 40 women,” he said.
Mr Ansah said the first shift could operate from 8am to 4pm, followed by a second shift from 4:30pm to 9:30pm.
He identified inadequate working capital as the main constraint to expanding operations, saying the gari production process required substantial upfront financing, particularly for the purchase of cassava.
“Every week, we buy cassava worth between GH¢40,000 and GH¢50,000. If GH¢40,000 to GH¢50,000 is going into cassava, you need at least GH¢100,000 a week to process an average of about 10 tonnes,” he said.
Mr Ansah urged the Government to facilitate access to affordable financing for private businesses seeking to participate in the 24-Hour Economy programme.
He suggested that the Ghana EXIM Bank and the Ghana Enterprises Agency could provide financing or guarantees to credible businesses at single-digit interest rates.
He also proposed government-backed guarantees to enable businesses to access financing from development partners and other financial institutions.
Mr Ansah said the proposed GH¢2 million facility would enable Ahodwo Farms to pre-finance its operations, increase gari production and package its products for supermarkets, provision shops and institutional consumers.
He further called for stronger linkages between local processors of rice, maize, gari and other commodities and institutional markets, including the School Feeding Programme.
“If I am asked to supply 200 tonnes of gari to the School Feeding Programme and the government is the one to pay me back, you give me the source to produce and link me to the off-taker,” he said.
Mr Ansah said such arrangements could provide processors with guaranteed markets and predictable cash flows while ensuring transparent transactions through the banking system.
He disclosed that he applied to participate in the 24-Hour Economy programme in March 2026 and received an acknowledgement of receipt but had not received further communication on the application.
He appealed to relevant government agencies to engage businesses with the capacity to participate in the programme.
“We know that there are opportunities out there. The few that we can identify and knock on the doors, they should open them to us, and they should send a staff member to come and see us,” he said.
Mr Ansah said the farm’s expansion was constrained mainly by working capital rather than production capacity.
“I am stuck at the capacity that I can pre-finance, not that I cannot do more. I am turning down cassava farmers because I do not have the working capital to pre-finance my operations,” he said.
Ahodwo Farms occupies about 1,200 acres, with 800 acres under cassava cultivation for gari production.
The farm also sources cassava from about 1,200 outgrowers in neighbouring communities and employs 75 permanent workers.
Mr Ansah said additional working capital and stronger linkages with institutional off-takers would enable the farm to increase production, absorb more cassava from local farmers and create additional jobs.
