Mahama launches vegetable initiative to reset Ghana’s agricultural economy

President John Dramani Mahama has positioned Ghana’s vegetable sub-sector at the centre of his government’s economic reset, unveiling a major initiative designed to boost incomes, reduce food imports and create a consistent pipeline of jobs within a 24-hour agricultural economy.

Unveiling the Vegetable Development Project in Kukuom in the Ahafo Region, the President said the initiative, known locally as Yeridua, reflects a deliberate shift toward high-value, fast-maturing crops capable of delivering quick returns for households and the wider economy. He noted that vegetables offer some of the strongest opportunities for growth because they require large labour inputs, have short cropping cycles and supply a rapidly expanding domestic market.

The project forms a key component of the Feed Ghana Agricultural Transformation Agenda, which runs from 2025 to 2028. It introduces climate-smart technologies, improved seed varieties and more efficient irrigation management while creating structured markets for farmers. The programme also provides cold-chain systems, guaranteed off-take arrangements and new connections to processing industries to promote value addition.

President Mahama said the agricultural sector will anchor the 24-hour economy policy, which aims to ensure uninterrupted production and services. This, he explained, requires strengthening the entire value chain from storage and mechanisation to agro-processing and market access.

He noted ongoing efforts to expand farmer service centres to deliver mechanisation services, input supply, repairs and extension support. Commodity-based cooperatives are also being encouraged to help smallholder farmers operate more competitively.

Agriculture Minister Eric Opoku said all seeds for the programme would be sourced locally to match Ghana’s climatic conditions. He assured farmers that government would supply fertilisers and other essential inputs to support maximum yields.

President Mahama added that the Vegetable Development Project reaffirms his administration’s commitment to building a resilient, technologically driven agricultural sector capable of feeding the nation and sustaining long-term growth.