Eric Opoku Charges Feed Ghana Brigades to Drive Agricultural Transformation

The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, has challenged members of the Feed Ghana Brigades to become catalysts for a new era of agricultural transformation, urging them to embrace innovation, discipline and hard work in helping to modernise the country’s food production systems.

A total of 506 brigades, comprising 420 men and 86 women, have been deployed to support farmers with extension services, technical assistance and the implementation of modern farming practices across the country.

Speaking at the commissioning ceremony on Wednesday, July 8, Mr. Opoku, said the Feed Ghana Brigades represent a critical component of government’s broader agenda to revitalise the agricultural sector, improve productivity and create sustainable employment opportunities for the youth.

He stressed that agriculture remains the backbone of Ghana’s economy and must be repositioned as a profitable and attractive venture capable of driving industrial growth and reducing the country’s dependence on food imports.

“My dear brigadiers, you are stepping into your roles at a defining moment. The country expects much from you and you must therefore serve with humility, discipline, honesty, patriotism and urgency. We are not waiting for the future, we are building it now.

“We are not waiting for others to feed but preparing to feed ourselves. We are creating jobs through production, organising, training and investing to transform agriculture” he said.

In addition, he said the Ministry of Food and Agriculture has begun receiving requests from private agribusinesses seeking to engage newly trained Feed Ghana Brigadiers, even before the official deployment of the first cohort, in what the government says is a strong vote of confidence in the initiative.

Eric Opoku, revealed that agribusinesses have already approached the Ministry to request the services of the graduates.

“I’m pleased to report that even before today’s passing-out ceremony, the Ministry has begun receiving requests from agribusiness enterprises seeking the services of these brigadiers. One company has requested 20 brigadiers, while another has requested two of them.”

The Minister said the early interest from the private sector underscores the growing demand for skilled agricultural professionals capable of supporting commercial farming and agribusiness operations.

“This early interest is a clear demonstration of the confidence the private sector has in this initiative and the growing demand for a disciplined, skilled and dedicated agricultural workforce.”

Mr. Opoku said the Ministry would continue to recruit and train more Feed Ghana Brigadiers to meet the increasing demand from businesses and institutions while supporting the implementation of the government’s flagship Feed Ghana Programme.

“The Ministry will therefore continue to train additional brigadiers to meet this growing demand and make them available to any company, institution or organisation requiring their services.”

Beyond supporting the implementation of the Feed Ghana Programme across the country, the brigadiers will provide agricultural advisory and technical support services to private agribusinesses, households, educational institutions, public institutions and faith-based organisations. They are also expected to serve as master gardeners, promoting household food production, improving nutrition and encouraging environmental stewardship.

The Minister noted that the current batch of 506 agricultural graduates represents only the first phase of the initiative. As the programme expands, the Ministry plans to recruit additional graduates from Colleges of Agriculture and other recognised tertiary institutions to strengthen agricultural extension and technical support services nationwide.

According to him, the expanded recruitment drive will deepen collaboration between the public and private sectors, broaden access to agricultural advisory services and create employment opportunities for more young agricultural professionals.

The Feed Ghana Brigade forms part of the government’s broader strategy to modernise agriculture, boost domestic food production, strengthen agribusiness value chains and create sustainable jobs for Ghana’s youth.