Thousands of graduates from Ghana’s Agricultural Colleges are pressing the government to approve recruitment into long-vacant positions, arguing that a backlog of more than 5,000 trained officers is weakening the country’s extension and veterinary services.

Coalition Secretary, Mohammed Abubakari Sadik, said qualified veterinary, crop, and extension officers have remained unemployed for up to seven years despite worsening staff shortages at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.

“Each year, thousands of passionate, skilled, and trained graduates in agronomy, animal science, agricultural economics, extension, horticulture, and related fields complete their studies, ready to contribute to national development,” he said.

“Yet, a large number of us remain unemployed or underemployed.”

The coalition comprises graduates from six public colleges: the Animal Health and Production College in Pong-Tamale; Kwadaso College of Agriculture and Entrepreneurship; Ejura College of Agriculture and Mechanisation; Ohawu Agricultural College; Damongo College of Agriculture and Allied Sciences; and Wenchi College of Agriculture and Applied Technology.

Mr Sadik said the coalition first raised the issue publicly in December 2024, when more than 1,000 trained officers were unemployed. He added that former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo pledged in 2021 to recruit 1,100 veterinary and crop extension officers in 2022.

According to him, about half of the officers have since been deployed, but delays in posting the remaining personnel have raised concerns about the Ministry of Food and Agriculture’s commitment to addressing staffing shortages.

The secretary argued that the graduates’ expertise is critical to government initiatives such as the Feed Ghana Programme and the broader Agricultural Transformation Agenda.

He also criticised the implementation of the Feed Ghana Programme, which sought to engage graduates through the National Service Scheme amid fiscal constraints linked to Ghana’s IMF programme.

Mr Sadik cited delayed payment of allowances after three months of service, the failure to issue official NSS PIN codes to some posted graduates, and a requirement for monthly reports to be submitted physically in Accra as some of the challenges affecting the programme.

He further stated that some ministry offices had rejected posted personnel due to the absence of formal communication from the authorities.

Mr Sadik appealed to President John Dramani Mahama, Minister for Food and Agriculture Eric Opoku, and Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson to grant financial clearance for all qualified graduates, complete the deployment of the remaining officers promised in 2022, and transition from temporary arrangements to permanent employment.

He also called for digital reporting systems to replace manual submissions and urged the government to adopt recruitment processes similar to those used in the education and health sectors.

“While we initially supported the voluntary service arrangement due to economic constraints, we can no longer sustain this model,” Mr Sadik said. “Agricultural graduates deserve fair and equitable treatment.”