One of Ghana’s chiefs Agronomist Dr Abu Sakara Foster has said Ghana has no strategy to develop its agriculture beyond aid but it envisions an economy beyond aid, which just won’t happen.

Got to start eating solids before total weaning off “breast milk” can happen.

According to him, as long as donor support continues, it will not allow conditions for the emergence of the scope, scale and quantum of private sector investment needed to transform our agriculture.

“We have not heard about donor support for small-scale mining but it is flourishing despite its intensive capital and labour requirements,” he said.

He has observed that no one begged the private sector to invest huge sums in large commercial-scale mining but it is doing it. This tells us that we are missing something fundamental about creating the environment for the profitability of agriculture.

“If we think agriculture can be sexy and lucrative without giving it significant priority and backing with our own money then we shall always rely on donor support. The latter will only aim to maintain support at a subsistence level because it is pro-poor funding” he stated.

If we are ever to advance our agriculture into the wealth creation phase, it has to be driven by investments from our rich people.

Maybe agriculture will now attract their money since the alternative is to keep the money under their pillows.

When these wealthy Ghanaians invest their wealth in Agriculture they will directly influence politicians and policy to be more favourable for the transformation of Agriculture. So far the lip service is too much and too many people have been burned financially by the agriculture sector.

Many of those that argue to the contrary do so from behind the comfort of desks that deliver fat emoluments in the name of agriculture.

Abu Sakara Foster
January 16, 2023.