The government is moving to resolve the persistent maize glut in the Upper West Region by facilitating a credit facility from the Ghana EXIM Bank to expand local grain processing and stabilise prices for farmers.
The Upper West Regional Minister, Mr Charles Lwanga Puozuing, said government’s priority is to finance processing capacity rather than rely solely on emergency produce purchases, stressing that EXIM Bank-backed credit will enable processors to absorb excess maize on a sustainable basis.
At the centre of the intervention is Kedan Limited, a grains processing factory in Tumu in the Sissala East Municipality.
Mr Puozuing disclosed that government has led efforts to secure an EXIM Bank facility for the company to expand its operations and purchase more maize directly from farmers during peak harvest periods.
“If we have a factory with sufficient capacity and access to credit, farmers will not be stranded looking for buyers,” the Minister said. “That is why we have worked to ensure Kedan Limited accesses a facility from Ghana EXIM Bank. The process is at an advanced stage, pending board approval.”
He made the remarks in Wa during a press soirée organised as part of his regular media engagements to highlight the region’s development challenges and attract investment.
The EXIM Bank-supported expansion comes amid mounting concerns from farmers and traditional authorities in the Sissala area, including the Council of Sissala Paramount Chiefs and the Sissala Union, over the lack of markets for maize. Farmers in the area reportedly sell a 100kg bag for about GH₵350, well below viable levels.
Although government released GH₵100 million in 2025 to the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) to off-take excess produce nationwide, farmers in the Sissala area say they have not benefited from the programme.
A communiqué from the Council of Sissala Paramount Chiefs welcomed government’s proposed Buffer Stock price of GH₵450 per bag, but noted that no authorised buyers had been seen in the area.
Mr Puozuing explained that NAFCO officers stationed in the region lack the direct mandate to buy produce from farmers, serving instead in supervisory roles overseeing the movement of food items to warehouses and schools under existing contracts.
As a result, the Regional Minister said EXIM Bank-financed processing offers a more reliable solution by empowering private processors to operate year-round and buy maize when prices fall.
He added that Kedan Limited has also submitted a bid to operate a factory in Funsi in the Wa East District, which would further strengthen grain processing capacity in the region.
According to Mr Puozuing, expanding Kedan’s operations through Ghana EXIM Bank credit would reduce post-harvest losses, stabilise maize prices, improve farmers’ incomes and encourage young people to venture into commercial farming.
He urged the media to intensify advocacy around the maize glut and support policy approaches that prioritise industrial processing backed by development finance.
“Access to EXIM Bank credit for processors is how we turn excess production into economic opportunity,” the Minister said.
