In his 2026 State of the Nation Address, President John Mahama presented agriculture not merely as a traditional sector, but as the engine room for his “24-Hour Economy” and a shield against the cost-of-living crisis.
With food inflation plummeting from a 61% peak in 2023 to just 4.9% today, the President argues that the “Agriculture for Economic Transformation Agenda” is already yielding results. Beyond the numbers, the address suggests a structural shift from “rain-fed” to “industrial” farming.
Restoring Sovereignty: The GH₵300 Million Buffer
The government is deliberately building a strategic food reserve. The administration has committed GH₵300 million to the National Food Buffer Stock Company to mop up excess produce during harvests.
This is designed to prevent the seasonal price hikes that typically punish Ghanaian households. By acting as a buyer of last resort, the government provides a guaranteed market for farmers while ensuring that during emergencies, the state has a physical stockpile to stabilize the market and ensure national resilience.
Breaking the “Rain-Fed” Curse: The Irrigation Pivot
A key highlight of the SONA was the strong emphasis on “Irrigation for Wealth Creation.” The President outlined a massive infrastructure drive including the construction of 10 new small dams, the rehabilitation of 8 existing ones, and the deployment of 250 solar-powered boreholes across the northern belt, Bono, and Ahafo regions. Major schemes like Vea, Weta, and Kpong are also undergoing rehabilitation, while 1,300 hectares of new inland valleys are being developed specifically for rice production.
This pivot aims to support year-round farming and strengthen climate resilience, moving away from a total dependence on unpredictable weather patterns.
The “Agripreneur” Generation: Youth and Institutional Farming
The government is also attempting to rebrand farming as a prestigious career through the National Service Agripreneur Programme, with 10,000 young Ghanaians being enrolled and 3,000 already posted. This effort is complemented by a massive institutional farming drive involving over 413 institutions.
From the Ghana Armed Forces and Prisons Service to public universities and faith-based organizations, these entities are actively participating in the Feed Ghana Programme. This model aims to make state institutions self-sufficient, reducing their reliance on the national budget for food supplies.
Mechanization and Farmer Services Centres
To modernize the sector, the President announced the procurement of 660 tractors, 400 combine harvesters, and over 4,000 agricultural implements. These assets will be managed through 11 new Farmer Services Centres to be constructed this year, providing smallholder farmers with affordable access to land preparation, harvesting, and equipment leasing.
To bridge the gap in technical support, 540 motorbikes are being procured for extension officers, while 70,000 community-focused farmer cooperatives have been established to serve as platforms for input access and fair market negotiations.
Cutting the Import Bill: Poultry and Rice
Ghana currently spends hundreds of millions of dollars annually on poultry imports, a trend the “Poultry Farm-to-Table Project” seeks to reverse. The project targets the production of 10 million birds through a combination of 50 large-scale anchor farmers, 500 SMEs, and a 60,000-household “Nkoko Nketenkete” backyard programme.
This is supported by a €154 million partnership with Italy to establish a 10,000-hectare irrigated model farm. Critically, all produce from this venture will be sold locally to ensure food security and provide raw materials for new processing facilities, such as the soya plant in the North and poultry feed facilities in the Ashanti Region.
The Verdict: A Reset or a Refinement?
The SONA paints a picture of a sector moving from subsistence to high-value business. The focus on value addition, exemplified by new processing plants for rice, cashew, and onions, suggests a desire to move Ghana up the global agricultural value chain.
However, the success of this reset hinges on the efficient management of the Farmer Services Centres and the ability of cooperatives to access the promised machinery and timely release of the various funds allocated.
If these infrastructure projects hit the ground as scheduled, 2026 could mark the transition of Ghanaian agriculture from a struggle for survival to a primary driver of national wealth. However if these promised irrigation projects to do not come into fruition, the downward food inflation could be reversed in the face of the global conflicts that could impact commodity prices.
