By Edward Acquah, GNA
Accra, Aug. 5, GNA – The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) and the African Agribusiness Consortium (AAC) have partnered to establish a 750-hectare irrigated vegetable production hub in the Eastern Region.
The initiative is expected to support the Government’s Feed Ghana Agenda, strengthen food security and deploy 118 Ghanaian graduates trained in agricultural sciences to modern commercial farming.
Mr Eric Opoku, Minister of Food and Agriculture, announced the partnership when the Ministry officially received the graduates, who completed postgraduate studies at the People’s Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University), in Accra.
The graduates, sponsored by the Jospong Group of Companies and the African Agribusiness Consortium, comprise 88 agronomy specialists and 30 ecology graduates.
Mr Opoku said the Ministry had allocated 750 hectares of irrigated land at Konadu in the Afram Plains for the project, while the African Agribusiness Consortium would provide logistics and pay irrigation water charges to support its implementation.
He said the initiative reflected the Government’s commitment to placing agriculture at the
centre of economic transformation through increased food production, agribusiness development, job creation and import substitution.
The Minister said the Ministry would work with the African Agribusiness Consortium and other partners to facilitate the graduates’ integration into the agricultural sector through access to land, irrigation support and strategic partnerships.
“Our objective is simple: to ensure that the expertise you have acquired translates into increased agricultural productivity, enhanced food security, job creation and national economic growth,” he said.
Mr Opoku urged the graduates to apply the knowledge acquired abroad to address challenges confronting Ghana’s agricultural sector and contribute to its transformation.
Dr Mrs Adelaide Araba Siaw Agyepong, Chief Executive Officer of the Consortium, said the organisation’s vision extended beyond sponsoring scholarships to developing a new generation of agricultural professionals capable of transforming Ghana’s food systems.
She said the graduates would be supported to become entrepreneurs, researchers and innovators rather than relying solely on conventional employment.
“We want to prepare them to build enterprises, support farmers, strengthen value chains and introduce practical solutions to the challenges confronting Ghana’s agricultural and environmental sectors,” she said.
Dr Joseph Siaw Agyepong, Founder and Executive Chairman of the Jospong Group of Companies, said the investment in the graduates reflected the Group’s commitment to
developing human capital for sustainable growth.
He encouraged the graduates to remain in Ghana and apply their expertise to modernise agriculture and support national development.
“Your skills and ideas must drive a new revolution in farming. Settle, work hard and help transform Ghana’s agriculture,” he said.
The graduates received postgraduate training in crop production, soil and plant health, sustainable agriculture, climate change, environmental protection and natural resource management.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Reporter: Edward AcquahÂ
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