The Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Hon. Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, has delivered a landmark address at the opening of the recent AgroTech Fair, announcing that Ghana’s new National Agribusiness Policy is now finalized and awaiting imminent Cabinet approval.
In a speech that served as both a tribute to the historic convergence of political will and industrial ambition, Hon. Ofosu-Adjare noted that this policy shift marks the definitive end of fragmented agricultural planning, replacing it with a cohesive framework designed to transform Ghana into West Africa’s most competitive agribusiness destination.
“Our national agribusiness policy is about to receive cabinet approval, signaling the highest level of political will to drive transformation of our agricultural and agribusiness sector. This policy provides the strategic framework that underpins everything we are doing here today, and it ensures that the momentum generated at this fair translates into lasting systemic change”
Hon. Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry
The Minister’s address signaled a profound realignment of her Ministry’s mandate. No longer focused solely on trade volumes, the Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry (MoTAI) is now “poised to answer the persistent question,” of how to bridge the gap between Ghana’s vast agricultural potential and its actual economic performance.
By placing Agribusiness at the center of the 24-Hour Economy, the Minister, like President John Dramani Mahama, framed the AgroTech Fair as the “fruit of a vision,” nurtured by the Ghana Exim Bank and the Ministry of Trade, aimed at weaponizing local innovation to drive industrial growth.
A central theme of the Hon. Ofosu-Adjare’s address was the move toward Local Ingenuity, noting that for too long, Ghanaian agriculture has been reliant on imported machinery and foreign systems that are often ill-suited for the local terrain or prohibitively expensive to maintain.
She made it clear that this administration is “intentional” about reversing this trend, with the AgroTech Fair serving as a living laboratory where local manufacturers are showcasing machinery built by Ghanaians, for Ghanaians.
The Minister emphasized that the Industrialization of the sector is not a passive event but a deliberate act of choosing local solutions over foreign ones. According to her, MoTAI is creating an environment where the “Made in Ghana” label is synonymous with high-tech efficiency, by rewarding innovation and supporting Import Substitution.
This strategic shift is designed to ensure that the wealth generated from the land remains within the national economy, feeding the industry and creating the skilled employment necessary to anchor the youth in the agribusiness value chain.
Scaling the AfCFTA
While the focus remains local, Hon. Ofosu-Adjare’s vision was unapologetically continental. She linked the success of the AgroTech Fair directly to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the African Union’s Agenda 2063, asserting that Ghana was not building in isolation, but leading a “larger African story of transformation.”
In order to position Ghanaian agri-tech manufacturers as the primary exporters of agricultural solutions across the continent, the Ministry is clearing the path for local firms to scale their operations by eliminating regulatory and financial barriers.
For, Hon. Ofosu Adjare, this alignment with the Medium-Term Development Plan (2026-2029) ensures that the current surge in agribusiness interest is backed by a long-term, institutionalized commitment.
She noted that an enabling environment is not a “campaign promise,” but a core delivery requirement of the current administration, and regulatory clarity is expected to trigger a massive influx of investment into the sector, as both local and international investors recognize the stability of the new policy framework.
Recognizing that the 21st-century agribusiness sector belongs to the “bold and creative,” Minister Ofosu-Adjare dedicated a significant portion of her address to the role of youth and women.
“To our young people and women in agribusiness, this fair holds something specific for you. Dedicated sessions on youth agricultural entrepreneurship, access to affordable technologies, mentorship, and market linkages have been designed with you in mind. Agribusiness in the 21st century belongs to those – willing to think differently about the land beneath us”
Hon. Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry
The Minister’s message was clear: agribusiness is no longer about the “hoe and cutlass”; it is a sophisticated, digital, and entrepreneurial frontier. Through connecting young innovators with the Ghana Export-Import Bank and other financial partners, the government is ensuring that the “greatest ideas” don’t die in the prototyping stage.
As the Minister concluded her remarks, she invoked the spirit of independence that first rose on the very soil of the Black Star Square and reminded the audience that Ghana has never been a nation that waited for the world to provide what it could grow itself.
She urged everyone to see the AgroTech Fair as the modern expression of that same resilience – a movement of “men and women gathered under the sun,” to wrestle a new future from the land, as Cabinet’s impending approval of the National Agribusiness Policy, sets the stage for an unprecedented era of growth.
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