Also known as: Hon. Eric Opoku · Minister of Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku · Mr. Opoku · Mr Eric Opoku · Minister Eric Opoku · Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku · Albert Opoku · Mr. Albert Opoku · Charles Opoku
Food and Agriculture Minister addressing Ghana's food surplus challenges and agricultural transformation initiatives including the AgriConnect Compact.
… The agreements were signed on Ghana’s behalf by Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Ghana’s Ambassador to the Russian Federation Jehu Appiah, and Food and Agriculture Minister Eric Opoku. …
Eric Opoku The Government has launched the AgriConnect Compact, an ambitious national framework aimed at improving food security for nearly three million people and creating more than 2.6 million jobs by 2035 through increased investment and transformation of the agricultural sec …
… The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Eric Opoku, said the compact would help transform Ghana’s agricultural potential into real economic benefits for citizens. …
… It noted that the Ghanaian side of the MoUs was signed by Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Minister of Foreign Affairs; Dr Koma Steem Jehu-Appiah, Ghana’s Ambassador to Russia with concurrent accreditation to Belarus, and Mr Eric Opoku, the Minister for Food and Agriculture. …
… Jehu Appiah; and the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku. The agreements reflect the shared commitment of Ghana and Belarus to deepen bilateral relations, expand economic opportunities, and advance cooperation in sectors that support sustainable growth and development. …
… They included the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa; the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu; the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku; the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah; and the Minister of Trade, Agribusiness an …
… Accompanying the President are Special Aide and Advisor Joyce Bawah Mogtari, Minister for Foreign Affairs Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Minister for Food and Agriculture Eric Opoku, Deputy Chief of Staff (Operations) Stan Xoese Dogbe and Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Shamima Muslim …
… This Compact provides a clear roadmap to modernize agriculture, support farmers, and build stronger value chains that can drive growth nationwide,” said Eric Opoku, Minister of Food and Agriculture. …
… Speaking after the signing ceremony, Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku described the agreement as a significant milestone in government’s efforts to modernise agriculture and make the sector a key driver of economic growth. …
The Minister for Food and Agriculture has urged a stronger push into agro-processing to address excess farm produce, reduce post-harvest losses, and create employment, emphasizing the need to shift from primary production to full value-chain development including processing, storage, transportation, packaging, and distribution.
Why it matters
Minister calls for agro-processing expansion to reduce farm surplus losses and create employment in agriculture sector.
The Minister for Food and Agriculture has urged a stronger push into agro-processing to address excess farm produce, reduce post-harvest losses, and create employment, emphasizing the need to shift from primary production to full value-chain development including processing, storage, transportation, packaging, and distribution.
Food and Agriculture Minister Eric Opoku says Ghana requires GH¢1.5 billion to address a growing food glut, noting that the GH¢100 million initially budgeted for 2025 proved inadequate. The minister cited insufficient funding and limited storage infrastructure as obstacles to supporting farmers with excess produce.
A Deputy National TESCON Coordinator of the NPP has petitioned the party's leadership to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Kennedy Agyapong over repeated public attacks on the party and its members, citing statements that he says have damaged the party's image and created divisions. The petitioner, who has served the NPP for over 14 years, specifically cited Agyapong's criticism of the party's position on the Afari Military Hospital project.
The Minister of Food and Agriculture has dismissed claims of disagreement with the Finance Ministry over the release of funds for agricultural programmes in 2026, while the Finance Ministry says it has released more than GH¢1.6 billion to the agriculture sector this year, representing about 85 percent of the ministry's total allocation for goods and services and capital expenditure.
Charles Opoku, a Deputy National TESCON Coordinator, filed a petition with the NPP General Secretary seeking disciplinary review of lawmaker Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, alleging a pattern of misconduct including public statements against fellow party members and opposition to official party positions that have brought the party's image into disrepute. The petition also raised concerns about "The Base," a group that emerged after the NPP presidential primary and operates outside recognized party structures.
The Ministry of Food and Agriculture has distributed 40,000 bags of inorganic fertilizers and five sets of agricultural drones to the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana to support the major planting season in Northern Ghana, as part of the government's Feed Ghana Programme aimed at increasing agricultural productivity and food security.
Ghanaian farmers are urging the government to resolve a budget dispute between the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and release funds for the national fertilizer subsidy programme to prevent agricultural collapse. Farming communities say prolonged administrative delays and a "bureaucratic deadlock" over GHc1.6 billion in funding claims have left them without essential inputs during the planting season.
The Tepa Nursing and Midwifery Training College has inaugurated its Stakeholders Association and admitted 611 out of 3,468 applicants for the 2025/2026 academic year across three programmes: 295 for Registered General Nursing, 170 for Registered Midwifery, and 146 for Nurse Assistant Clinical. The college reported a 91.5% pass rate for Registered Midwifery in the 2025 KNUST terminal examinations and recorded 76% pass rate for NAC, 67% for RGN, and 69% for RM in the recent Nursing and Midwifery Council Licensing Examination.
More than 300 young farmers from southern and middle belt communities completed a two-day training in the operation and maintenance of modern farm machinery, organised by BonAgro LOVOL in partnership with Weichai LOVOL Global and PanAfrica Savings and Loans to improve agricultural productivity and attract youth to farming.
President John Dramani Mahama has secured a procurement arrangement with Belarus for the supply of 1,840 pieces of agricultural equipment, which he described as deepening economic ties between the two nations. At the first Belarus-Ghana Business Forum in Minsk, Mahama highlighted the complementary strengths of both economies and called for private sectors to forge lasting commercial partnerships.
President John Mahama signed three Memoranda of Understanding with Belarus during a state visit, covering a Joint Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation, cooperation between the chambers of commerce, and enhanced agricultural collaboration. Mahama highlighted agriculture as a key area, citing opportunities in mechanisation, technology transfer, research, and investment.
The Government has launched the AgriConnect Compact, a national framework supported by the World Bank aimed at improving food security for nearly three million people and creating more than 2.6 million jobs by 2035 through increased agricultural investment and transformation. The first phase from 2026 to 2030 requires about US$3.5 billion in financing from government, development partners, and the private sector, and prioritises commodities including cocoa, oil palm, rice, maize, and poultry.
The government has launched the Ghana AgriConnect Compact, a major agricultural transformation programme expected to improve food security for nearly three million people and create more than 2.6 million jobs by 2035, requiring an estimated $3.5 billion for its first phase from 2026 to 2030.
President Mahama held bilateral discussions with Belarusian President Lukashenko during a state visit, resulting in three Memoranda of Understanding covering trade and economic cooperation, enhanced collaboration between chambers of commerce, and agricultural cooperation.
President John Dramani Mahama held bilateral discussions with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko during a State Visit, culminating in three Memoranda of Understanding covering a Joint Commission for Trade and Economic Affairs, collaboration between the countries' Chambers of Commerce, and agricultural cooperation.
Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, Minister of Finance, has been named the Overall Best Performing Minister at the 6th Ghana Minister of the Year Awards, recognized for his distinguished service and performance at the Ministry of Finance. The awards ceremony, held in Accra, celebrated excellence in public service and impactful leadership in governance during the 2025 review period.
Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, Finance Minister, was adjudged Overall Best Minister of the Year 2025–2026 at the 6th Ghana Minister of the Year Awards held in Accra. Other ministers honoured included Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa as Best Young Minister and John Abdulai Jinapor as Best Innovation Minister.
President John Dramani Mahama is in Minsk for high-level bilateral talks with Belarusian President Aleksandr Grigorievich Lukashenko, with discussions focused on expanding cooperation in agriculture, trade, investment, technology transfer and industrial development. The visit includes signing of four Memoranda of Understanding and a Ghana-Belarus Business Forum.
Ghana, with World Bank and development partner support, has launched the AgriConnect Compact, a national framework to strengthen food security, create jobs, reduce food imports, and mobilize investment across priority agricultural value chains including cocoa, oil palm, rice, maize, and poultry. In its first phase (2026–2030), the Compact aims to improve food and nutrition security for an estimated 2.99 million people and support the creation of more than 2.6 million jobs by 2035, requiring estimated financing of about US$3.5 billion.
Ghana has signed a $1.5 billion AgriConnect Compact with the World Bank, IFAD, IFC, and other development partners to transform its agriculture sector. The compact is expected to create more than 2.6 million jobs over five years while improving food security and strengthening agribusiness.
Agriculture Minister Eric Opoku announced plans to introduce an import quota policy that ties rice importers' permits to demonstrated partnerships with Ghanaian rice producers, aiming to boost local production, reduce reliance on imports, and strengthen the domestic rice value chain.
The government, with World Bank Group support, has launched the AgriConnect Compact, a national framework aimed at strengthening food security, creating jobs, reducing food imports, and mobilising investment across priority agricultural value chains including cocoa, oil palm, rice, maize, and poultry. In its first phase from 2026 to 2030, the Compact targets improved food and nutrition security for an estimated 2.99 million people and the creation of more than 2.6 million jobs by 2035, with estimated financing needs of about US$3.5 billion.
Ghana's Minister for Food and Agriculture Eric Opoku has criticized low investment in African agriculture and urged governments to allocate at least 10 percent of annual budgets to the sector, noting that many countries currently provide less than one percent, two to three percent, or as little as 0.6 percent despite prior commitments under the Maputo and Kampala declarations.
Ghana's Food and Agriculture Minister Eric Opoku says Africa produces about 70 percent of the world's cocoa beans but receives less than 5 percent of the value from the global chocolate industry, valued at approximately $129 billion, and called for structural transformation to move beyond exporting raw materials.
Ghana's Agriculture Minister Eric Opoku has stressed that agriculture is a critical pathway to employment and economic growth in Africa, noting that between 10 and 12 million young Africans enter the labour market annually while only about three million formal jobs are created, leaving millions without meaningful opportunities and contributing to migration, instability, and conflict.
Vice President Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang opened a two-day ECOWAS Rice Investment Roundtable in Accra, calling on West Africa to view rice farming as a strategic economic asset focused on youth, incomes and economic resilience. She noted that the region spends more than $50 billion annually on food imports, with rice accounting for a significant portion, despite possessing fertile land, water resources and entrepreneurial farmers.
Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has called on African countries to take greater control of their food systems by investing strategically in agriculture, reducing dependence on food imports and strengthening regional cooperation. She noted that Africa spends more than US$50 billion annually on food imports despite having fertile land and abundant water resources, and stressed that transforming agriculture into a modern commercial industry is essential for job creation and economic growth.
Ghana's government announced a new policy requiring rice importers to demonstrate verifiable partnerships with local rice producers before receiving import permits, aiming to accelerate progress toward self-sufficiency and reduce the import bill.
The Agriculture Minister announced plans for an inter-ministerial taskforce to strengthen surveillance and enforcement against illegal rice importation through unauthorized border routes, citing the impact on local farmers and domestic production.
An investigative analysis argues that over five million Ghanaian smallholder farmers are being harmed by macroeconomic policies and institutional failures, including artificially cheap imported rice and maize flooding the market and defective hybrid seeds from the government's Feed Ghana Programme.