Food and Agriculture Minister Eric Opoku has appealed to the Finance Ministry to reverse Ghana’s proposed withdrawal from the West Africa Food System Resilience Programme (FSRP), warning that the move could put more than GH¢643 million in existing commitments at risk and disrupt several agricultural projects.
In a letter to the Finance Minister dated September 28, 2026, Mr Opoku said the Finance Ministry had informed the World Bank on September 23 of Ghana’s decision to withdraw from the programme without a prior consultation with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA).
According to him, the World Bank subsequently instructed the FSRP implementation team to suspend several activities under the programme.
The MoFA says the government currently has outstanding commitments amounting to GH¢643,867,633.36 for agricultural infrastructure projects being implemented under the programme.
Of this amount, GH¢520,257,975.43 relates to financing from the International Development Association (IDA), while GH¢123,609,657.93 is from the FS2030 Trust Fund.
Mr Opoku cautioned that Ghana’s decision to withdraw from the programme would not automatically cancel its obligations under contracts that have already been signed.
“Without an alternative funding plan, the government may have to meet payments from other resources,” he said.
He warned that suspending or terminating ongoing projects could lead to delays, additional costs and possible contractual claims against the government.
Among the projects that could be affected are rehabilitation works at the Weta, Vea, and Kpong irrigation schemes, as well as projects in selected inland valleys.
World Bank orders suspension of activities
Mr Opoku said the World Bank, in an email dated September 24, directed the FSRP team to suspend all activities and procurement financed through the IDA credit and Recipient-Executed Trust Funds.
The Bank also directed a halt to the procurement and implementation of tomato seed and micro-irrigation activities being financed through a Norwegian grant.
MoFA said the suspension could have a direct impact on farmers, particularly if delays cause them to miss important planting periods.
Such delays, the ministry warned, could affect production and postpone the benefits expected from the programme.
Feed Ghana programme also affected
The proposed withdrawal is also affecting activities under the government’s Feed Ghana programme.
According to MoFA, recruitment has been suspended for the Feed Ghana Brigade, an adviser to the ministry’s Network Operations Centre and a data analyst.
Work on digitisation, farmer registration and support for the Feed Ghana Secretariat has also been put on hold.
The ministry said these disruptions could delay the development of systems needed to identify farmers, provide support to beneficiaries and monitor the implementation of the programme.
It could also affect coordination of Feed Ghana activities across the country.
“Taken together, these directives place the implementation of Feed Ghana, a flagship Government programme and a commitment in the National Democratic Congress manifesto, under immediate pressure,” the letter stated.
Mr Opoku is therefore calling on the Finance Ministry to reconsider the proposed withdrawal and work with the relevant stakeholders to protect existing commitments and prevent further disruption to ongoing agricultural programmes.
Source: Peacefmonline
