Amidst the threats to global food security, the World Bank is urging Ghana’s new government to prioritize an ambitious investment in the country’s agricultural value chain. Agriculture investment in Ghana can greatly improve food security.
The World Bank says Ghana must adopt more ambitious strategies to maximize the sector’s potential as a catalyst for economic growth, job creation, and mitigating food insecurity. This includes focusing on agriculture investment in Ghana.
Regional Vice President for Western and Central Africa of the World Bank, Ousmane Diagana made this call when he visited the Irrigation Scheme and Kpong Left Bank Irrigation System sites.
Admitting that Ghana has made progress in its agricultural sector, he stressed that there is still the urgent need for the efforts to be amplified to ensure job creation and food security. Agricultural investment in Ghana remains a priority.
“Agriculture, you know, for all our countries is the key, is the engine for jobs. So, therefore, there is here a necessity to scale up what is already being done, and do so also in conjunction or in partnership with other countries,” Ousmane Diagana noted.
He added, “I also would like to stress that there is definitely the need to do more, to be more ambitious.”
Currently the Global Food Security Index report ranks Ghana 83rd food secure country in the world and 7th in Africa. However, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) reveals that the number of persons in food crisis increased from 560,000 in 2021 to 823,000 in 2022. This represents a 47% increase in people suffering from lack of food access, availability, and utilization.
Moreover, the prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity, the FAO say is around 39.4% as of 2022 representing about 12.9 million people.
With the deepening climate change, the Vice President of the World Bank’s clarion call comes a wake up call to Ghana to scale up investment in the sector in order to enhance its food security position. Failure to improve the agricultural value chain can escalate food insecurity issues. Increased agriculture investment in Ghana is crucial.
Meanwhile, the World Bank has pledged to bridge the $30 million funding gap for the implementation of the Food Systems Resilience Programme (FSRP), aimed at boosting irrigation farming and agricultural productivity.
This commitment was announced by the Regional Vice President for Western and Central Africa for the World Bank, during his visit to the Kpong Irrigation Scheme and the Kpong Left Bank Irrigation System sites.
