The Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry has reaffirmed government’s commitment to strengthening Ghana’s agribusiness sector through policy reforms, fair competition, access to financing, and stronger enforcement mechanisms. This follows a high-level roundtable discussion with agribusiness captains and industry stakeholders held at the Ministry on Tuesday, 10th February 2026.
The engagement brought together chief executives and representatives from across the agribusiness value chain—including rice, poultry, pineapple, maize, horticulture, processing, export, banking, and input supply—to deliberate on challenges confronting the sector and propose solutions to ensure sustainability, competitiveness, and growth.
Opening the meeting, the Minister underscored the strategic importance of agribusiness to Ghana’s industrialisation agenda, noting that the expansion of the Ministry’s mandate to include agribusiness reflects President John Dramani Mahama’s vision of positioning the sector as a key driver of economic transformation, job creation, and food security.
Industry players welcomed the initiative but raised concerns over unfair competition from imports enjoying tax holidays, high electricity costs, limited access to affordable financing, weak enforcement of import licensing regimes, rising insecurity on farmlands due to sand winning, poor infrastructure, and inconsistencies in taxation and policy implementation.
Responding to these concerns, the Minister acknowledged the legitimacy of the issues raised and emphasised shared responsibility between government and industry, particularly in financing. She stressed that sustained access to affordable credit depends on industry players honouring loan obligations, noting: “If we want cheaper financing, we must make it affordable by paying back what we borrow. When banks see agribusiness as a sector that repays loans, they will lend more and at better rates.”
On taxation, she assured stakeholders of government’s willingness to consult industry players ahead of new tax measures, stressing the importance of predictability and reasonable rates to improve compliance. She also pledged to review import licensing frameworks, particularly in poultry, to protect local industry while respecting regional and international obligations.
The Minister further addressed concerns about farmland insecurity, electricity tariffs, and infrastructure, promising collaboration with relevant ministries and agencies to tackle sand winning, encourage alternative energy solutions such as solar, and strengthen linkages between farmers and industry through aggregation, commercial contracts, and coordinated production planning.
Reiterating government’s commitment, she stated: “We cannot industrialise without agribusiness. Government cannot do this alone. We need a strong, confident private sector to drive growth, create jobs and expand production.”
The meeting concluded with a commitment to sustained dialogue between government and agribusiness stakeholders as the Ministry finalises the Agribusiness Policy for Cabinet consideration.
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