Chamber of Agribusiness pushes for 20-year agric transformation strategy

The Chamber of Agribusiness Ghana (CAG) has urged the government to immediately adopt a 20-year Agricultural Transformation Strategy, warning that decades of short-term interventions have left the sector without the structural reforms required for sustained growth.

In a report titled “The Case for a Long-Term Agricultural Sector Policy and Strategy for Ghana,” the Chamber argued that agricultural programmes have largely been shaped by electoral cycles rather than long-term development planning.

“For too long, Ghana’s agricultural sector has been governed by 3–5-year programmes that align with political cycles rather than agricultural development timelines,” President of the Chamber, Anthony Morrison, said.

“While some programmes have achieved short-term production increases, they have failed to deliver the fundamental transformation our sector desperately needs,” the report added.

The document notes that more than 35 major agricultural policies have been introduced since independence, yet Ghana has not implemented a sustained 20–25-year strategic framework capable of driving deep transformation.

“We spend over 2.5 billion dollars annually importing food we could produce, our farmers remain poor, youth flee agriculture, and we lag behind countries that made long-term strategic commitments decades ago,” Mr. Morrison said.

CAG is proposing the Ghana National Agricultural Transformation Strategy (GNATS) 2026–2045, backed by a 30-billion-dollar investment plan aimed at mobilising funding from government, the private sector, development partners and innovative financing mechanisms.

According to the report, “No country has achieved genuine agricultural transformation through short-term programmes.” It adds that successful agricultural economies are built on “sustained commitment to long-term strategic frameworks maintained across political cycles for 15–30 years.”

The Chamber cites examples from Brazil, Vietnam, China, Thailand and Rwanda, where long-term agricultural strategies have driven export expansion, strengthened food security and reduced poverty.

Under the proposed framework, agricultural GDP could increase from 14 billion dollars to over 40 billion dollars by 2045, exports could exceed 10 billion dollars annually, more than two million quality jobs could be created, and Ghana’s food import bill could be reduced by up to 70 per cent.

“We’re not just calling for another policy document. We’re proposing a comprehensive framework with clear investment priorities, realistic financing mechanisms, and strong governance structures to ensure implementation and continuity across political administrations,” Director of Policy and Research at the Chamber, Dr Kwame Boateng, said.

“The question is not whether Ghana can afford to develop a long-term agricultural strategy, it’s whether we can afford not to. The time for action is now,” Mr Morrison added.