VodafoneFarmers’ Club To Transform Ghana’s Agricultural Sector

Accra, June 11, 2015 -Ghana’s innovative telecommunication company, Vodafone has launched a new initiative - Vodafone Farmers’ Club - to offer a range of mobile services exclusively for farmers. The initiative will alsoprovide them with access to relevant information on improved farming practices, crop information, prices of commodities and expert advice, in their preferred language.

The telecommunications giant is harnessing the strength of its extensive rural network and partnership with Esoko - an information service provider for agricultural markets in Africa - to rollout this revolutionary initiative which was introduced by Vodafone Group to bridge the gap between farmers and critical farming information. The partnership will assist inconnecting farms, agribusinesses and rural communities to drive productivity, profitability and innovation.

Speaking at the launch, Minister for Agriculture, Fiifi Kwetey lauded Vodafone Farmers’ Club as a timely intervention to aid Government in its pursuit of effective promotion of agricultural productivity.

“Ghana’s economy is led by the agricultural sector. There is no better way of lifting the living standard of farmers than to start impacting their lives and farming businesses. This initiative by Vodafone, for the Ministry of Agriculture, is a game changer”, he said.

Commenting on the initiative, Serpil Timuray, Regional CEO of Vodafone Africa, Middle East & Asia Pacific Region said:

“One-third of humanity relies on food grown by 500 million smallholder farmers with less than two hectares of land. As Ghana’s population continues to expand, farmers have an urgent need to produce ever-increasing amounts of food without destroying habitats or depleting resources in unsustainable manners. Smart and forward-looking initiatives such as the Vodafone Farmers’ Club concept can make a real difference in addressing the global challenge of food production and security.”

Haris Broumidis, Chief Executive Officer of Vodafone Ghana, said weather forecast and virtual market places where farmers can sell their produce and other mobile services haveimportant roles to play in increasing agricultural resilience and enhancing quality of life for farmers.