President John Dramani Mahama has outlined an ambitious agricultural transformation agenda aimed at reducing Ghana‘s $2 billion annual food import bill, stabilizing food prices, and creating business opportunities across the agricultural value chain. Delivering his State of the Nation Address on February 27, 2025, the President detailed key initiatives under the Agriculture for Economic Transformation Agenda (AETA) designed to modernize farming, enhance agribusiness, and drive economic growth.
According to President Mahama, Government will launch the Feed Ghana Programme, a strategic initiative to scale up local food production. This will include the Grains Development Project, which will prioritize rice, maize, and soybean cultivation, and the Vegetable Development Project, focusing on increasing domestic tomato, onion, and pepper production to reduce reliance on imports. “The Feed Ghana Programme will increase food production and reduce prices through projects like the Grains Development Project, focusing on rice, maize, and soybean production. The Vegetable Development Project will target crops such as tomatoes, onion, and pepper.” he said
These initiatives will aim to enhance food security while creating business opportunities for agribusiness investors, commercial farmers, and address inefficiencies in local production and supply chains
He also made note that despite the country’s vast arable land and abundant water resources, the country remains heavily dependent on food imports, which he is calling to change. “Our fertile lands, abundant water, and human resources should make us a food powerhouse, yet we continue to depend on imports. This must change,” he said.
The president also spoke on Ghana’s poultry sector being a major weak link in the food security strategy, with 95% of poultry products imported at a cost exceeding $300 million annually. To tackle this, the government will roll out the Poultry Farm-to-Table Project, a plan to develop local hatcheries, feed mills, and processing facilities.
A key component of this initiative is the “Nkoko Nkitinkiti” (chicks) Project, which will support 55,000 households in poultry production, ensuring consistent supply to meet local demand. By cutting import dependency, the project presents investment opportunities in poultry farming, processing, cold storage, and logistics.
“We spend over $300 million every year importing poultry. Our goal is to reverse this trend by investing in local production. The “Nkoko Nkitinkiti” Project will directly support thousands of households to supply eggs and fresh poultry to our markets,” the President said.
