The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), in partnership with the African Agribusiness Consortium (AAC), is to establish a 750-hectare irrigated vegetable production hub at Konadu in the Afram Plains of the Eastern Region to boost food production, strengthen food security and create jobs.
The initiative, which forms part of the Government’s Feed Ghana Agenda, will also provide employment opportunities for 118 Ghanaian graduates trained in agricultural sciences.
Mr Eric Opoku, Minister of Food and Agriculture, announced the partnership in Accra during a ceremony to officially receive the graduates, who had completed postgraduate studies at the People’s Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University).
The graduates, sponsored by the Jospong Group of Companies and the African Agribusiness Consortium, comprise 88 agronomy specialists and 30 ecology graduates.
Mr Opoku said the Ministry had allocated 750 hectares of irrigated land at Konadu in the Afram Plains for the project, while the African Agribusiness Consortium would provide logistics and pay irrigation water charges to facilitate its implementation.
He said the initiative underscored the Government’s commitment to positioning agriculture at the centre of Ghana’s economic transformation through increased food production, agribusiness development, job creation and import substitution.
The Minister said the Ministry would collaborate with the Consortium and other partners to support the graduates’ integration into the agricultural sector by providing access to land, irrigation facilities and strategic partnerships.
“Our objective is simple: to ensure that the expertise you have acquired translates into increased agricultural productivity, enhanced food security, job creation and national economic growth,” he said.
Mr Opoku urged the graduates to apply the knowledge and skills acquired abroad to address challenges confronting Ghana’s agricultural sector and contribute to its transformation.
Dr Mrs Adelaide Araba Siaw Agyepong, Chief Executive Officer of the African Agribusiness Consortium, said the organisation’s vision extended beyond awarding scholarships to nurturing a new generation of agricultural professionals capable of transforming Ghana’s food systems.
She said the graduates would be supported to become entrepreneurs, researchers and innovators rather than depending solely on traditional employment opportunities.
“We want to prepare them to build enterprises, support farmers, strengthen value chains and introduce practical solutions to the challenges confronting Ghana’s agricultural and environmental sectors,” she said.
Dr Joseph Siaw Agyepong, Founder and Executive Chairman of the Jospong Group of Companies, said the investment in the graduates demonstrated the Group’s commitment to developing human capital for sustainable national development.
He encouraged the graduates to remain in Ghana and apply their expertise to modernise agriculture and contribute to the country’s economic transformation.
“Your skills and ideas must drive a new revolution in farming. Settle, work hard and help transform Ghana’s agriculture,” he said.
The graduates received postgraduate training in crop production, soil and plant health, sustainable agriculture, climate change, environmental protection and natural resource management.
The vegetable production hub is expected to enhance commercial agriculture, improve domestic vegetable production and support the country’s efforts to reduce food imports while creating employment opportunities for young agricultural professionals.
