• Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Minister of Food and Agriculture, Ghana

“Mastery in farming is a skill and through a skill and through the sweat, determination and hardwork on and hardwork of farmers, they bring life to the field” ife to the field” Agriculture,

DR. OWUSU AFRIYIE AKOTO,

Minister of Food and Agriculture, Ghana

Ghana has been transformed into the breadbasket of West Africa under the leadership of Hon. Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, advancing from “not being on track” in 2017 to “being on track” in 2019 on the African Agriculture Transformation Scorecard (AATS). Ghana was ranked fourth on the African continent by the Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU) on its Global Food Security Index that same year (2019) (GFSI).

Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto (born 19 October 1949) is a Ghanaian agricultural economist and politician. Owusu Afriyie Akoto was born to Bafuor Osei Akoto, a prominent member of the pre-independence National Liberation Movement and the Manhyia Palace’s chief linguist. He received his tertiary education at the University of Ghana, Legon, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in agriculture.

He has earned his M.Sc. and PhD in Agricultural Economics from the University of Cambridge in England. He spent 18 years with the International Coffee Organization (ICO) in London, England, as an Economist, Senior Economist, Principal Economist, and Chief Economic Advisor. He has also served as a consultant to the World Bank and the United Nations on Soft Commodities (Cocoa, Coffee, Sugar). Between 1995 to 2007, he was the CEO of two international commodity firms based in Ghana, Goldcrest Commodities Limited and Plantation Resources Limited.

Afriyie Akoto contested the Kwadaso constituency seat for the first time in 2004, receiving 20 percent of the delegates’ votes cast. He was defeated by fellow political rookie Josephine

The team introduces the newly developed Fertilizer Application Dashboard for Ghana

Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Minister of Food and Agriculture received the Executive Members of the Northern Youth For Peace and Development (NYUPED) as an awardee of the Prestigious National Achievers of Excellence Awards which is slated to take place on the 30th of October, 2021, in Tamale, the Northern Regional capital.

The Secretary of the National Patriotic Party (NPP) Constituency Officer’s Welfare and the Ayawaso West Constituency Chairman, Jeffery Edward Osei and his team acknowledged Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto efforts and support for the work of the President, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and praised my performance in helping build Ghana on 11th August. On behalf of the Executive Committee of the National Constituency Officer’s Welfare, they expressed their profound gratitude for lending a hand to the recent workshop held in Koforidua.

Hilda Addo, who received 26 votes. In the 2004 general election, Addo won the constituency election. Afriyie Akoto competed again in the constituency primary in 2007 and beat the incumbent. From 2009 to 2016, he was the Member of Parliament for Kwadaso. Afriyie Akoto served as the Deputy Ranking Member of the Committee on Food and Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs in Parliament. Afriyie Akoto contested the main electoral district in June 2015 with the goal of having sufficient votes to allow him to fight the parliamentary election. The elections were contested by five other candidates, including Addo, a former electoral parliamentarian. Nuamah was the final winner, who won 191 of the voting. Of the total votes, Afriyie Akoto won 95. Afrijie Akoto offered to work with Nuamah in his concession speech to retain the legislative position and said that Nuamah had won the seat on merit.

He was elected to the Parliament of the Republic of Ghana in 2008. He served two terms as the Member of Parliament for the Kwadaso Constituency in Kumasi, Ashanti Region. Until 2017, he served as the Deputy Ranking Member and then the substantive Ranking Member of the Committee on Food, Agriculture, and Cocoa Affairs in Parliament.

In 2017, he was appointed Minister of Food and Agriculture. He has led the design and implementation of Ghana’s wellknown and innovative agricultural flagship program, Planting for Food and Jobs, (PFJ).

Dr Akoto was named SEED CHAMPION OF AFRICA by Africa Seeds, the African Union’s intergovernmental Seed Agency, in February 2019. Later the same year, he was appointed Chairman of the Board of the Inter African Coffee Organisation (IACO), a pan-African organization that promotes the interests of coffee producers on the continent, a position he held until December 2020.

He is currently a cabinet minister in the Nana Akuffo-Addo administration, and serves as the Minister of Food and Agriculture of Ghana. He is also the Chairman of the ECOWAS Specialised Ministerial Technical Council for Agriculture (CTMS Agric).

“Taking care of Farmers means taking care of the Nation. Let’s support our small holder farmers to provide sustainable agriculture.”

- Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Minister of Food and Agriculture

Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Minister of Food and Agriculture received a

delegation from the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) and Development Gateway, fertilizer application and software development managers.

The official launch of the Dashboard which is slated for September 22, 2021, at Alisa Hotel, Accra. The goal of this dashboard is to support development partners’ and the private sector’s efficient and effective responses to the evolving global health emergency, and ensure that sufficient quantities of appropriate fertilizers reach farmers in time for planting. Fertilizer use and its application have become very crucial to the quest by Africa and for that matter Ghana to achieve food sufficiency and improve agricultural export capacity.

The programme ties in perfectly with what the Government of Ghana has since 2017, been doing under the flagship Planting for Food and Jobs programme, to support farmers by giving them adequate inputs, particularly fertilizers, in order to help increase their yields and expand their production.

The biennial award, according to the organizers, is in recognition of the outstanding contribution to the growth and development of the youth, particularly, in the northern regions of the country through the numerous interventions introduced under the Planting for Food and Jobs programme.

The collaboration between the Government of Ghana and IFAD. Both parties have accomplished a lot together especially with the Rural Enterprise Project that seeks to provide opportunities to the youth. The project has encouraged the youth to venture into Agribusiness.

Currently, they are working on a project in the Northern and Middle Belt of Ghana. The project is set out to engage vulnerable small holders in the high priority agricultural value chains in Ghana. The Government of Ghana’s flagship programme Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) is key to IFAD and they are prepared to support small holders to take advantage of increased opportunities arising from such policies.

Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Minister for Food and Agriculture on behalf of the President Nana Addo Dankwa AkufoAddo inaugurated the Board of Directors of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture on Tuesday 11th August 2021.

IFAD is a specialized United Nations agency based in Rome that provides investment to the Agricultural sector of developing countries. The Director for the West and Central Division of the International Fund for Agricultural Development(IFAD), Nadine Gbossa paid a courtesy call on me at The Ministry Of Food And Agriculture Ghana

Kenya’s High Commissioner to Ghana expressed his delight for the warm reception accorded him in Ghana. The High Commissioner, H.E. E.M Barine and his team were in Ghana to understudy how Ghana has been able to stabilize the price of food crops, especially in the Cocoa industry. Kenya is seeking to explore relations with Ghana especially in the field of Agriculture.

The Country Representative of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) for Ghana, Rukia Yacoub, thanked Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Minister of Food and Agriculture for the excellent cooperation between the two institutions, especially,for the endorsement of the joint MOFA-WFP Smallholder Farmer E-commerce Access project which will benefit many farmers, including youth and women.

Inauguration the newly constituted Board of Ghana Cocoa Board(COCOBOD)

Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto says the government is committed to raising the country’s cocoa production and also find new markets to improve the country’s standing in the cocoa value chain. He recounted the advent effects of COVI-19 on the demand for Cocoa products in the international market.

The Minister added that, government’s determination to make the cocoa industry a lucrative one considering the fact that cocoa had been the backbone of the economy for over a century and still contributes to Ghana’s export earnings.

The Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture initiated and implemented the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) program in 2017 with the aim of substantially increasing the production of various food crops including soya beans. The production of soya bean, which is currently being subsidized by the government, is to boost domestic livestock and poultry production.

Since 2017, Ghana has been able to increase its Soya Bean production capacity from 40,000 metric tonnes in 2016, 400,000 metric tonnes by the end of the 2020 crop season, thanks to the interventions under the Government’s flagship Planting for Food and Jobs programme. The Committee is made up of members drawn from the Ministries of Food and Agriculture, Trade and and Industry, Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Poultry Farmers Association of Ghana and Local Farmers Association.

A report from the Regional Director of Agriculture in the Eastern Region showed positive participation in Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ). The Hon. Minister for Food and Agriculture Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto took note of the issues raised by the various stakeholders in Agriculture gathered at the Regional Coordinating Council. He promised that he and the Directors from the Ministry in Accra will work on improving these issues to move the Agrarian economy of the region forward.

One of the modules of PFJ, Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD) was exhibited on a private farm in the region. The young farmer produces coconut, cocoa and pineapple on large acres of land. Currently, he exports the pineapple to ready markets in Europe.

“A promise well fulfilled” - Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Minister of Food and Agriculture

The pilot registration for the enrolment of about 1.5 million cocoa farmers into

the national pension scheme is set to start next week Monday, August 23, the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has disclosed. This is ahead of the roll-out of the full scheme for the 2021/2022 cocoa season.

Details of the Government of Ghana flagship programme Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ):

Planting For Food and Jobs made a considerable impact on national food supply and food security in spite of the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Provisional Agricultural GDP growth rates increased from 4.7% in 2019 to 7.4% in 2020.

A total of 53 poultry farmers were supported to produce 44,000 broilers under the input subsidy support in the Eastern, Greater Accra & Ashanti Regions as a pilot in 2020.

Government has constructed a total of 80,000 metric tons of warehouses across the country.

Under the planting for food and jobs programme there has been an improvement in Extension Service Delivery.

As of 2021 over 1,700,000 farmers have benefited from the Government’s planting for food programme.

We have increased Agric extension officers from 1,586 to 4,286.

The ratio of extension officers to farmers has reduced from 1:1,900 to 1:709.

Government has established Greenhouse Training centres established at:

Akumadan - (14,440 m²) Bawjiase - (14,440 m²) Dawhenya - (38,260 m³) Total capacity - (67,140 m²)

23.188 Million Seedlings consisting of Cashew, Coffee, Coconut Oil Palm, Mango and rubber have been distributed. A solid foundation was laid for diversification of agricultural exports by the creation of the Tree Crop Development Authority.

2,370 Breeding pigs locally sourced have been distributed in 2021 to 474 farmers in the following areas Western North, Ashanti, Volta, Central & Greater Accra Regions.

7,500 improved breeding stock Djalonke sheep sourced from Burkina Faso were distributed to 750 farmers in the Northern Regions and Oti Region.

9 mechanized boreholes drilled for 9 livestock breeding stations at Amrahia, Ejura, Nkwanto, Kintampo, Pong Tamale, Wulugu, Babile, Doba & Busa.

11 livestock sheds have been constructed for 5 livestock breeding stations at Ejura, Nkwanta, Babile, Doba & Busa.

Agriculture Situation Prior to Inception of PFJ in 2017

Only 11% of food crop farmers using improved seeds • About 15% farmers using fertilizers

Fertilizer application rates were 8kg/ Ha . Extension-Farmer Ratio was 1:1,900

Total number of Extension Agents in 2016 was 1,560

Agriculture Situation Prior to Inception of PFJ in 2017

Yields of most staple crop varieties (maize, rice & root tubers) were between 40%-45% of potential yields.

Vegetable exports to the EU were banned.

Rising devastating effects of the Fall Army Worm (FAW) on crops especially maize.

All 68 mechanization centers were down and providing no service to farmers.