- Agric Ministry Receives GHS 1.67 Billion as Ghana Pushes Food Security Drive
Ghana’s government has released GHS 1.677 billion to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, representing 85 percent of the ministry’s approved 2026 budget for goods, services and capital expenditure.
The announcement was made by Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Nyarko Ampem during the launch of the National Pact for Agricultural Transformation, Food Security and Employment, also known as the AgriConnect Compact, in Accra on Wednesday.
The release is expected to strengthen confidence in the government’s commitment to agricultural transformation at a time when food security, job creation and domestic production have become central to Ghana’s economic recovery agenda.
Speaking at the event, Mr Ampem said President John Mahama’s administration was backing its agricultural policy with “substantial financial commitments and targeted investments” aimed at modernising the sector and expanding economic opportunities.
According to the Ministry of Finance, the funds will support a number of flagship interventions designed to improve productivity, reduce import dependence and strengthen agricultural value chains.
The largest allocation, GHS 581.4 million, has been directed toward the establishment of 50 Farmer Service Centres across the country. The centres are expected to improve mechanisation and expand farmers’ access to essential agricultural services.
Another GHS 515.3 million has been released for the supply of fertilisers and certified seeds to farmers as government seeks to raise crop yields and stabilise domestic food production.
To reduce dependence on seasonal rainfall, government has also earmarked GHS 110 million for irrigation infrastructure projects to support year-round farming.
In the poultry sector, GHS 244.9 million has been allocated to the Poultry Farm-to-Table initiative, locally branded as “Nkoko Nkitinkiti”, as part of efforts to revitalise domestic poultry production and reduce reliance on imports.
An additional GHS 200 million has been released to the National Food Buffer Stock Company to improve storage, commodity distribution and agricultural trade logistics.
Mr Ampem said the administration’s broader agricultural strategy goes beyond increasing production. He noted that the focus is also on job creation, food security, value-chain development and long-term economic resilience.
The budget release comes as Ghana seeks to position agriculture as a major driver of economic transformation under the AgriConnect Compact.
The Compact is expected to mobilise investment into priority value chains, improve food and nutrition security, support agribusiness development and create employment opportunities, particularly for young people.
For government, the disbursement is intended to demonstrate that the agricultural transformation agenda is not only a policy statement, but a funded programme with clear implementation priorities.
However, the scale of the release will also invite scrutiny.
Investors, development partners, farmers and civil society groups are likely to monitor how quickly the funds translate into functioning farmer service centres, improved access to fertiliser and seeds, stronger irrigation systems, increased poultry output and better food storage.
For Ghana’s agriculture sector, the issue is no longer only about budgetary allocation. The real test will be whether the released funds deliver measurable gains in productivity, farmer incomes, food prices and rural job creation.
If implemented effectively, the 2026 agriculture budget release could mark an important step in shifting Ghana’s agriculture from subsistence production toward a more commercial, mechanised and resilient food economy.
