Investments for sustainable food systems non-negotiable — Dr Akoto

An aspiring flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, has said that investments needed to achieve sustainable food systems for the country will be non-negotiable.

He said through the implementation of a well-defined vision and strategy, he would prioritise the transformation of agriculture at the highest level of governance for the prosperity of all.

Dr Akoto was speaking on the topic; Exploiting agriculture diversification to fund economic development in Ghana at a Vikings alumni lecture at the University of Ghana, Legon, in Accra last Friday (July 21, 2023).

Known as the “Vikings Alumni Celebrity Platform Lecture,” the ceremony was part of activities earmarked as part of the 60th anniversary celebration of the Mensah Sarbah Hall of the University of Ghana.

Dr Akoto who became a Viking in September 1969 at age 19 when he entered the university to pursue his first degree in agriculture, said there was the urgent need for a different approach if the country was to succeed in transforming its agriculture.

Explaining further, he said, he would create an Agricultural Management Team (AMT) chaired by the President (Dr Akoto) to drive agricultural development.

The AMT, he explained, shall comprise seven agric-related ministries, namely Food and Agriculture, Finance, Trade and Industry, Lands and Natural Resources.

The other ministries, he mentioned, included Transport, Local Government and Rural Development, and Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation.

Dr Akoto said agricultural policy must be driven by evidence, and, therefore, it was essential that policy makers, farmers and actors in the value chain were trained to access the benefits of data for decision making.

Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, NPP Presidential aspirant, at the panel discussion. With him are Prof. Irene Egyir (middle), Dean, School of Agriculture, University of Ghana, Legon, and Dr Andrew Agyei-Holmes (right), Lecturer, Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research. Picture: ELVIS NII NOI DOWUONA

“We shall ensure that targeted users of technology are involved in every stage of the process.

This will provide opportunities to empower the youth and create new jobs,” he stated.

The NPP flag bearer hopeful said funding to the research endeavours of the diverse national agricultural research institutions, including universities in areas such as agronomy, extension, plant breeding, integrated soil fertility management (ISFM), integrated pest and disease management (IPDM), post-harvest management (PHM) and climate-smart technologies, would also be prioritised.

Vision

During the 45 minutes lecture, Dr Akoto  announced that his overall vision for the country was to achieve agriculture-led growth for the structural transformation of the economy of the country.

That, he said, would be achieved through creating alternative opportunities for boosting foreign exchange reserves, mechanising the sector and prioritising public funding in the sector.

Again, he said improving productivity in smallholder farms as well as growing other sectors of the economy from revenues generated for a self-reliant, food-secure, wealthy and healthy nation was also essential.

Dr Akoto said the establishment of the various development authorities such as the Tree Crop Development Authority and the Grains Development Authority, among other commodity institutions, could substantially expand the export earning capacity of the country to fund industrial development.

On climate change, the NPP flag bearer hopeful emphasised that the time had come for the country to grow crops that were resilient to withstand drought, heavy rain and heat.

He, therefore, stressed that much must be done to curb the effects of climate change and sustain yields in farmers’ fields.

Dr Akoto said agriculture held the strongest potential to steer Ghana out of poverty, guarantee food and nutrition security, and also generate the necessary resources for the development of the other sectors of the economy.

Looking back at the last six years of his stewardship as the Minister of Agriculture from January 2017 to January 2023, Dr Akoto expressed confidence that if the foundations laid were built upon, it would lead to a thriving sustainable agriculture to bring about prosperity for all.

“The foundations come in two parts.

The first part are activities with direct interface with farmers and processes to raise the level of agricultural activity to international standards and the second would be the creation of new institutions with legislative backing to manage and develop targeted sub-sectors of the agricultural economy,” he added.

To achieve that, he said “I resorted to the technique of branding to popularise the adopted policies “Planting for Food and Jobs” (PFJ) which he said, had five modules.

These modules, he mentioned, were food security, tree crop development, horticulture, livestock and mechanisation.”

On food security, the NPP flag bearer aspirant said the Ministry of Agriculture during his tenure made significant investment in farm inputs in order to increase agricultural productivity, which he indicated raised incomes of farmers and achieved national food security.