There should be dedicated funding for agriculture — Agri-Impact CEO

The Chief Executive Officer of Agri-Impact Limited, Daniel Fahene Acquaye, has called for dedicated funding for the agricultural sector, similar to what exists for education and other key sectors.

Speaking at the 2025 Budget Digest organized by PwC in Accra, Mr. Acquaye emphasized that the lack of sector-specific funding for agriculture has contributed to the sector’s underdevelopment.

“We have sector-specific funds like GETFund for education and COCOBOD for cocoa, but there is no dedicated fund for agriculture,” he noted.

He further raised concerns about the budgetary allocation to agriculture in the 2025 budget, describing it as highly insufficient.

Mr. Acquaye noted that the GH¢1.5 billion allocated to the sector, representing 0.54% of the total GH¢279 billion budget, is inadequate and could lead to serious challenges.

“The point I’m making is that the budget allocation to agriculture in this year’s budget is highly insufficient. If we see a decline in the government’s own budget allocation to agriculture—not donor funds—then we are definitely going to face challenges,” he stated.

Similarly, the former Minister of Food and Agriculture and Member of Parliament for Abetifi in the Eastern Region, Bryan Acheampong, has criticized the government for what he describes as a paltry allocation to the sector.

According to him, the GH¢1.5 billion allocated, representing 0.5% of the total GH¢290 billion budget, is too low for a sector crucial to Ghana’s economy.

In a social media post on Thursday, March 13, the MP warned that inadequate funding for agriculture could lead to a food crisis.