Mr. Eric Zunuo Banye, an International Development Expert, on Thursday lauded President John Dramani Mahama for his commitment towards the promotion of Agribusiness in Ghana and the reduction of the number of ministries.
“However, the decision to consolidate agribusiness under the Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, rather than aligning it with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, raises concerns about the potential sidelining of this critical sector,” he said in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra.
“As you can recall, the NDC manifesto is heavily agribusiness-driven as a conduit for jobs, employment, income diversification, and food security.” “Also, agribusiness serves as a backbone of Ghana’s economy, providing employment, driving exports, and supporting rural livelihoods.”
Mr. Banye said integrating Agribusiness with the Trade and Industry might inadvertently dilute its focus, as the Ministry might prioritize industrial and trade-related policies over the specialized needs of agribusiness development. He noted that placing it under the current configuration risked missing opportunities to strengthen value chains, enhance productivity, and address sector-specific challenges like post-harvest losses and access to financing for smallholder farmers. During implementation it would be important for the Ministry to create a distinct and well-resourced department solely focused on agribusiness, he said.
Mr. Banye recommended close collaboration between the Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness, and Industry and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to ensure agribusiness received the technical and policy focus required. He suggested engaging sector stakeholders, including farmer associations, private sector players, and non-governmental organizations to ensure their voices were heard in policymaking and implementation.
“As clearly captured in the manifesto, continue to articulate agribusiness as a priority in national policies, strategies, and budgets to underline its importance to economic development,” Mr Banye said. He called for investment in research, training, and technology transfer tailored to agribusiness to ensure it remained youth-friendly, competitive and sustainable.
While streamlining ministries could reduce redundancy, it was crucial to ensure that critical sectors did not lose visibility or impact due to re-organization. Agribusiness combines the knowledge and principles of agriculture, science, economics and business for the production, processing and marketing of agricultural commodities.
Source: GNA
