Ghana's agriculture sector is poised to become the driving force behind the country's economic transformation, Dr Godfred Seidu Jasaw, the Chairman of Parliament's Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs Committee, has said. 

Speaking in a recent interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra, Dr Jasaw, also the Wa East MP, emphasised that the government's "Agric for Economic Transformation" agenda was crucial for improving the lives of millions of Ghanaians, particularly those in rural areas where about 72 per cent of the population resided. 

"The agenda includes flagship programmes like Feed Ghana, focusing on crop development, with cereals like rice and sorghum being cultivated at scale," he said. 

According to the MP, the government was also positioning the yam sub-sector for export, aiming to create jobs and earn foreign exchange. 

He said, "To support this, infrastructure projects are underway, such as the construction of a bridge to improve produce movement between the Volta Region and northern areas." 

"Additionally, the government has earmarked oil palm as a lead crop in its tree-crop development programme, with a GH¢6.9 billion Oil Palm Finance Window and a US$500 million long-term financing facility to revive and modernise the industry," he added. 

Dr Jasaw explained that it was a strategic effort to transform agriculture from subsistence farming into a modern agro-industrial enterprise, delivering growth, food security, and livelihoods for millions.  

"With the right policies, funding, and institutional support, the agriculture sector can indeed serve as the arrowhead of Ghana's economic transformation agenda," he said.