Ghana has launched the AgriConnect Compact, a national plan backed by the World Bank to lift food security and create more than 2.6 million jobs by 2035.
Unveiled in Accra on June 3, the Compact sets out a coordinated public and private agenda to raise farm productivity, expand value addition, widen access to markets and finance, and make the agri-food system more resilient. Its first phase runs from 2026 to 2030 and aims to improve food and nutrition security for an estimated 2.99 million people.
Financing for that first phase is put at about US$3.5 billion, with contributions expected from the government, development partners and the private sector. Partners backing the initiative include the World Bank, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC).
The plan prioritises cocoa, oil palm, rice, maize and poultry, while supporting cashew, coconut, rubber, fisheries and the forest economy. It concentrates on irrigation, seed systems, mechanisation, farmer services, agro-processing and logistics so that more food is grown, processed and sold within the country, reducing reliance on imports.
Deputy Minister of Finance Thomas Nyarko Ampem framed the launch as a turning point.
“This is Ghana’s moment to feed itself,” he said.
Food and Agriculture Minister Eric Opoku described the Compact as a roadmap to modernise farming and build stronger value chains capable of driving growth nationwide, with particular benefit for farmers, agribusinesses and young people.
The Ghana Compact sits within AgriConnect, a wider World Bank Group programme that aims to help 300 million smallholder farmers worldwide commercialise their produce by 2030, with support from partners including the African Development Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, Google and Bayer.
