President Akufo-Addo has indicated that government is working to achieve a Ghana Beyond Aid through the expansion of greenhouse villages in the country.

The President believes working at expanding greenhouse villages will generate massive revenue for the country.

“It is expected that the benefit of the experience gained from training in the greenhouse villages will impact the local market by taking over supplies to hotels, restaurants and so on.”

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the Akumadan Greenhouse Village in Akumadan in the Ofinso North District of the Ashanti Region, the President said the country can benefit about $1 billion in seven years from greenhouse exports.

The Ghana Beyond Aid project, initiated by Ghana’s government, seeks to among other things build “a prosperous and self-confident Ghana that is in charge of her economic destiny. 

A transformed Ghana that is prosperous enough to be beyond needing aid, and that engages competitively with the rest of the world through trade and investment,” Managing Director at Dutch Development Agency, Solidaridad Isaac Gyamfi indicated.

The President, among other initiatives, introduced the Planting for Food and Jobs initiative to promote the agenda through the agricultural sector.

President Akufo-Addo said government’s programme for the revival of Ghanaian agriculture is achieving considerable success within the three years of its implementation. 

Since implementing the programme, its interventions have been designed to enhance yields of farmers through access to subsidised, improved seeds and fertilizers, reduce post-harvest losses, increase extension services to farmers.

It also aims at developing the livestock subsector, developing selected tree crops, introducing greenhouse technology to improve productivity and quality of vegetable production, improve mechanisation services to farmers and develop irrigation.

He assured that the economy will experience massive growth if greenhouse villages are boosted in the country.

The President said that estimates indicate that cultivating three selected vegetables in greenhouses could generate over ¢2.49 million a year.

The President added that another benefit is that “food tourism will also receive a boost from the patronage of our local food produce to enhance businesses and incomes.”