African governments failing on commitments to increase agriculture funding — Eric Opoku
Ghana’s Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, has raised concern over what he describes as widespread failure by African governments to meet long-standing commitments to increase investment in agriculture.
He said many countries on the continent continue to allocate far below the required funding levels, despite agriculture’s central role in employment, food security and economic transformation.
Speaking at the 4th Inter-Parliamentary Conference on Family, Values and Sovereignty in Accra on Thursday, June 4, the Minister referenced the Maputo Declaration of 2003 and subsequent continental frameworks that set a 10% budget allocation target for agriculture and rural development.
“Under these frameworks, our government pledged to allocate at least 10% of their national budgets to agriculture and rural development as a means of unlocking the continent's fast agricultural potential and assimilating economic transformation,” he said.
Mr Opoku noted that the reality across Africa shows significant gaps in implementation, with some countries allocating less than 1% of their national budgets to agriculture.
“In some countries, agriculture receives less than 1% of the national budget. Others allocate only two or 3% while some provide as little as 0.6%,” he stated.
The minister cautioned that such levels of investment are inadequate for a sector that employs a large portion of Africa’s workforce and remains critical to industrialisation and poverty reduction.
The Minister further urged African parliaments to play a stronger oversight role in ensuring governments adhere to their commitments.