President John Dramani Mahama is expected to launch the School Farm Initiative on Tuesday, October 21, in the Volta Region.

The initiative aims to transform schools into centres of agricultural learning and production, targeting over 15,000 acres in 1,000 schools.

The Director of Agricultural Initiatives and Agribusiness at the Office of the President, Dr. Peter Boamah Otukunor, announced this at a two-day ELIGREEN Women and Youth Agribusiness Exhibition Summit (EWAYES 25) in Accra.

The event was held on the theme: "Breaking barriers; securing market access for women and youth in the agribusiness sector."

It attracted research institutions and food producers and processors from across the agricultural value-chain.

Dr. Otukunor said another initiative on poultry and livestock training would equip about 20,000 young people in modern animal production to create jobs, while the Youth Agricultural Estate Programme would provide structural programmes through commercial farming, irrigation and market access for young graduates.

Support

He appealed to financial institutions to support the initiatives and charged the youth to avail themselves of the opportunities in order to be part of the history-making process.

Dr Otukunor said the Dobidi out-grower flagship programme is targeting about 10,000 acres of rice farms and 50,000 acres of maize, as well as input support for smallholder farmers.

The Director stated that the Dobidi Agro-Input Credit and Farmer Financing Platform was also designed to connect farmers to agro-input credit, affordable farmer financing, technical support, aggregators, off-takers and financial support, aiming to remove structural barriers that prevent smallholder farmers from accessing essential financing.

"The government is committed to building an agriculture sector that focuses on programmes and systems aimed at improving access to finance, markets and knowledge," he said.

Dr Otukunor said women and youth, who form the country's agricultural backbone, still remain on the margins of opportunity, even though they till the soil, process the food and trade the produce that feeds the nation.

“Many are full of ideas but lack the capital to grow, others produce diligently but struggle to find markets while others face cultural and institutional barriers that limit their access to training. As such, pragmatic policies and systems are needed to break these barriers to empower and promote socio-economic development," he said.

ELIGREEN

The Director commended the Founder of ELIGREEN Hub, Ms Sophia Karem Edem Ackuaku, a former Member of Parliament for the Domeabra-Obom Constituency in the Greater Accra Region, for her resilience, vision and unwavering commitment to women and youth in agribusiness.

”Your story is what Ghana needs. Bold individuals who see beyond the challenges and create platforms for others," Dr Otukunor said.

The Head of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Banking at Ghana Exim Bank, Evans Darko, said the bank had invested over GH?50 million to finance the agricultural value-chain and is currently investing in poultry and rice production for the next five years.

He charged the youth and producers to take advantage of the initiative.

Project

The Project Director of ELIGREEN, Prince Ackuaku, on behalf of the Founder, Sophia Karen Edem Ackuaku, said the transformative summit speaks volumes of the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

“As we embark on this journey together, we aim to break down the barriers that have long hindered access to markets, finance, and innovation for women and youth in agribusiness," he said.

Prince Ackuaku said the summit was a testament to the dedication of the partners, stakeholders, and the entire agribusiness community who believe in the power of inclusive growth.

“Today, we are not just talking about agribusiness; we are talking about empowerment to redefine the future of agriculture by ensuring that the next generation of agripreneurs, especially women and youth, have the tools and resources to work with," he said.