Over 5,000 agricultural graduates demand govt recruitment into vacant positions

Thousands of graduates from Ghana’s agricultural colleges are urging government to urgently approve their recruitment into long-vacant positions, warning that the growing number of unemployed professionals is weakening agricultural extension and veterinary services across the country.

The coalition, which says more than 5,000 trained agricultural officers are currently without permanent employment, argues that the shortage of personnel is affecting the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and undermining key national agriculture initiatives.

Coalition Secretary Mohammed Abubakari Sadik stated that many qualified veterinary, crop, and extension officers have remained unemployed for as long as seven years, despite rising demand for their expertise.

“Each year, thousands of passionate, skilled, and trained graduates in agronomy, animal science, agricultural economics, extension, horticulture, and related fields complete their studies ready to contribute to national development. Yet, a large number of us remain unemployed or underemployed,” he said.

The coalition comprises graduates from six public agricultural colleges, including the Animal Health and Production College in Pong-Tamale, Kwadaso College of Agriculture and Entrepreneurship, Ejura College of Agriculture and Mechanisation, Ohawu Agricultural College, Damongo College of Agriculture and Allied Sciences, and Wenchi College of Agriculture and Applied Technology.

Mr Sadik recalled that the group first raised concerns in December 2024 when over 1,000 trained officers were still unemployed. He also referenced a 2021 pledge by former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to recruit 1,100 veterinary and crop extension officers in 2022.

He noted that although some officers have since been deployed, many others are still awaiting posting, raising concerns about the pace of implementation of government commitments.

The coalition maintains that agricultural graduates are essential to the success of programmes such as the Feed Ghana initiative and the broader Agricultural Transformation Agenda.

Mr Sadik further criticised aspects of the Feed Ghana Programme, particularly its reliance on the National Service Scheme due to fiscal constraints linked to Ghana’s IMF programme.

He highlighted several operational challenges, including delayed payment of allowances after months of service, absence of NSS PIN codes for some deployed graduates, and the requirement for physical submission of monthly reports in Accra.

He also noted that some Ministry of Food and Agriculture offices have rejected posted personnel due to lack of official communication confirming their deployment.

The coalition is therefore appealing to President John Dramani Mahama, Agriculture Minister Eric Opoku, and Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson to grant financial clearance for the recruitment of all qualified graduates and complete the outstanding deployment under the 2022 recruitment plan.

They are also calling for the digitisation of reporting systems and adoption of streamlined recruitment structures similar to those used in the education and health sectors.

“While we initially supported the voluntary service arrangement due to economic constraints, we can no longer sustain this model. Agricultural graduates deserve fair and equitable treatment,” Mr Sadik stressed.