Largest contributor of food inflation in Ghana is bad roads — Dr. Ato Forson

The Minister for Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, has attributed the persistent rise in food prices in Ghana to poor road infrastructure linking farming communities to market centers.

Farmers often face challenges transporting their produce, which leads to spoilage or increased costs that ultimately drive up prices.

Speaking on Accra-based JoyNews’ PM Express on Thursday, November 13, after presenting the 2026 budget, the minister said government is taking steps to address this issue to help reduce food inflation.

“The major contributor of food inflation is coming from bad roads, connecting farms and markets,” he said.

To address the longstanding problem, the John Mahama-led administration, according to Dr. Ato Forson, will invest GH¢828 million for the construction of 1,000km of agriculture enclave roads.

Under the move, the Ministry of Agriculture will identify those roads, and then the Ministry of Roads and Highways will fix those roads.

“To facilitate the transportation of farm produce to markets and reduce food inflation, we have allocated GH¢828 million for the construction of 1,000km of agriculture enclave roads,” said Dr. Ato Forson.

“We have allocated GH¢690 million to commence the operationalization of the Farmer Service Centers,” he added.