In a country like Ghana, sun-kissed, rain-blessed, and covered in fertile land, it’s hard not to feel frustrated. The fields are green after each rainfall. The soil is rich. The rivers flow, despite pollution threats posed by galamsey. And yet, the dinner tables of millions rely heavily on imported food. That saddens my heart!
A Nation Blessed with Agricultural Potential
From the north to the south, Ghana is covered with arable land. Our lands are good for everything: grains, vegetables, fruits, and livestock. We have the weather. We have water bodies. We have the labour. But year after year, we fall short when it comes to feeding ourselves.
Why is that?
In truth, we are not making the most of what we have. Mechanised farming, one of the key drivers of large-scale food production, is still largely missing. In most rural areas, farmers are still using cutlasses and hoes, praying for rain, and hoping for buyers. Meanwhile, agricultural policies often come in the form of catchy slogans and seasonal fertiliser programmes. They may help for a while, but they’re not building anything sustainable.
The Shocking Numbers Behind Our Food Imports
Here’s where it gets even more alarming. According to the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) and the Bank of Ghana, the country spent a whopping GH₵38.95 billion on food imports in 2024 alone. That’s more than half of our total food supply. The bulk of this went into importing grains, cereals, sugar, cooking oil, meat, and fish, items that should be locally produced in abundance.
In just one year, from 2023 to 2024, our food import bill jumped by GH₵12.2 billion. That’s not just a small spike. It’s a sign of deepening dependence on external food sources while our agricultural systems remain underdeveloped.
So, What’s Really Stopping Us?
Successive governments have all made promises. Some have launched programmes. Others have held forums and distributed farming equipment. But the problem runs deeper. There has been no consistent, long-term vision that stretches beyond political terms. Mechanised agriculture is not something you do in bits and pieces. It needs planning, investment, and proper maintenance. It also needs commitment, not just from politicians, but from every institution responsible for food security.
We can’t keep relying on donor-funded tractors that break down within a few months or irrigation systems that are announced with fanfare but never completed. Farming has to be taken seriously, not as charity, but as the engine of national strength and resilience.
The Price of Inaction
Ghana’s population is growing. Cities are expanding. The demand for food is rising every day. Yet, the supply side remains weak. Rural communities that could be the backbone of national food production continue to be neglected. Youth who might have turned to agriculture are leaving the villages for urban jobs, or struggling to find any at all.
We now have a situation where imported rice is a staple, frozen chicken from abroad is on almost every menu, and fish, despite our coastline, is largely brought in from elsewhere. It’s hard to understand why, in a country with such rich potential, we can’t feed ourselves adequately.
What Needs to Change?
First, mechanisation must go beyond distribution. It should be part of a national agricultural plan that integrates training, land access, marketing, storage, and transport. Second, farming must be presented as a business worth entering, not a low-income fallback. Third, public and private partnerships must focus on long-term investments, not short-term political gains.
We need to reimagine agriculture, not as a dusty, struggling sector, but as the future of the nation.
A Final Question for the Future
It’s 2025. We are spending billions to bring in food from other countries while our fields lie fallow. How long will this go on? Can we really claim to be building a self-reliant economy if our people are fed by foreign hands?
It’s time to ask, not just what went wrong, but who will have the courage to put it right.
Read the full report here.