The Chamber of Agribusiness Ghana has called for a bold and transformative national agenda to reposition agriculture as the primary engine of economic growth, industrialisation and food security as the nation marks its 69th Independence Anniversary.

In a statement signed by the Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Agribusiness Ghana, Anthony Kofituo Morrison to commemorate the anniversary under the national theme “Building Prosperity, Restoring Hope,” the Chamber said the theme strongly reflects the central role agriculture must play in shaping Ghana’s economic future.

The Chamber noted that for nearly seven decades since independence, agriculture has remained the backbone of Ghana’s economy.

“For nearly seven decades since independence, agriculture has remained the backbone of Ghana’s economy,” the statement said. “From the early post-independence period, when agriculture accounted for over 50 per cent of national GDP and employed the vast majority of the population, the sector laid the foundation for Ghana’s economic development.”

According to the Chamber, major cash crops such as cocoa, oil palm, rubber and timber helped position Ghana as a major agricultural exporter in the early years, while staple crop production supported food security and rural livelihoods.

Today, agriculture continues to employ more than one-third of Ghana’s workforce and remains the anchor of many rural economies across the country.

However, the Chamber noted that the global agricultural landscape has evolved significantly, with countries across Asia, Latin America and parts of Africa accelerating investments in agro-industrialisation, agricultural technology, logistics systems and global value chain integration.

“Countries that were once food importers are rapidly becoming agro-export powerhouses,” the statement noted. “In contrast, Ghana’s agriculture sector currently faces structural competitiveness challenges.”

Despite the country’s favourable climate conditions, abundant natural resources and a strong entrepreneurial base among farmers and agribusiness operators, the Chamber observed that Ghana continues to experience rising food import dependency.

It explained that the national food import bill has increased significantly over the past decade, placing pressure on foreign exchange reserves and exposing the country to global commodity price shocks.

The Chamber also identified post-harvest losses as one of the most critical systemic inefficiencies within the agricultural value chain, noting that conservative national estimates indicate that Ghana loses between 20 and 50 per cent of agricultural produce due to inadequate storage systems, poor logistics, insufficient processing infrastructure and weak market linkages.

“These losses translate into billions of cedis in wasted production annually, reduced farmer incomes and higher food prices for consumers,” the statement said.

Against this backdrop, the Chamber is advocating the adoption of a Seven-Year National Agriculture and Agro-Industry Development and Transformation Strategy aimed at fundamentally restructuring Ghana’s agricultural economy.

The proposed strategy, according to the Chamber, should pursue ambitious national targets including reducing Ghana’s national food import bill by 60 per cent within seven years, cutting post-harvest losses by 80 per cent through modern storage, logistics and processing systems, and reducing food waste across the value chain by up to 90 per cent through integrated food management systems.

It also called for the expansion of domestic agro-processing capacity to absorb locally produced raw materials and increase value addition.

To achieve these targets, the Chamber emphasised the need for significantly increased budgetary allocations to agriculture in line with the Maputo Declaration on Agriculture and Food Security, which recommends that at least 10 per cent of national budgets be allocated to the sector.

The Chamber further urged government to prioritise large-scale agricultural infrastructure development, including rural feeder roads, logistics corridors, cold chain systems, aggregation centres, commodity storage hubs and agro-processing parks.

It also highlighted the urgent need for nationwide deployment of post-harvest technologies such as modern storage facilities, grain silos, solar-powered cold rooms, mobile processing units and improved packaging infrastructure.

The statement additionally stressed the importance of strengthening farmer education and agricultural skills development to equip a new generation of farmers with knowledge in agronomy, climate-smart agriculture, digital technologies, financial management and agribusiness entrepreneurship.

Furthermore, the Chamber advocated the establishment of structured agricultural value chains and commodity development programmes that directly connect farmers with processors, exporters, retailers and international markets.

It also called for accelerated agro-industrialisation through the development of agro-processing clusters and food manufacturing hubs across the country’s regions.

The Chamber stressed that Ghana requires a long-term national agriculture and agro-industry development policy that transcends political cycles and ensures continuity in investment, planning and institutional coordination.

“As Ghana celebrates 69 years of independence, the nation stands at a pivotal moment,” the statement said. “With the right policies, investments and partnerships, agriculture can once again become the cornerstone of Ghana’s economic prosperity.”

The Chamber reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with government, development partners, financial institutions, research institutions and private sector actors to drive the transformation of Ghana’s agricultural sector.