The Ghanaian government has earmarked $200m this year to diversify and expand the country’s tree crop development programme, a senior presidential aide has announced.
Joyce Bawa Mongtari, advisor and special aide to President John Dramani Mahama, said the investment would focus on job creation, market expansion and strengthening value addition across the agricultural value chain.
She made the announcement at the inaugural Tree Crop Excellence Awards held in Accra on Friday.
Mrs Mongtari said the initiative formed part of broader efforts to reposition agriculture as a key driver of Ghana’s economic transformation, arguing that sustained investment and industrial processing were critical to employment and long-term growth.
“The country is at the threshold of a historic economic rebirth,” she said, adding that success would depend on modernising production systems, improving marketing and promoting value addition.
The ceremony, which followed the maiden Tree Crops Investment Summit and Exhibition in the capital, honoured more than 30 individuals and organisations for their contributions to the development of the sector.
Mrs Mongtari said the creation of the Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry demonstrated the government’s intention to better integrate agriculture with industrialisation, export development and job creation.
She also welcomed Parliament’s passage of the 24-Hour Economy Authority Bill, expressing hope that it would boost industrial productivity and enable agribusinesses to produce more competitive goods for both local and international markets.
In a speech at the event, Andy Okra, chief executive of the Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA), described the awards as a strategic initiative to promote excellence, competitiveness and sustained investment in the industry.
He said the scheme was designed to recognise individuals and institutions whose innovation and investment were shaping the sector’s growth, from production and processing to export development and sustainability.
According to Mr Okra, the awards align with the government’s broader economic reset agenda, under which the tree crop sector has been identified as a priority area for growth and job creation, with backing from President Mahama.
He added that winners were selected through a rigorous evaluation process assessing measurable impact in areas such as job creation, innovation, governance and community development. He noted that the strong participation of women and young people was particularly encouraging.
Beyond competitive categories, honorary awards were also to be presented to pioneers whose leadership laid the foundation for the industry’s development.
Mr Okra said the sector is built around six priority crops — cashew, coconut, oil palm, rubber, mango and shea — collectively referred to as “seacorns”. He stressed that the future of Ghana’s agriculture extends beyond cocoa and depends on the sustainable development of these tree crops under the TCDA’s leadership.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
