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Showing posts from October, 2025

‎The fight against Galamsey: National Task Forces Intensify Crackdown on Illegal Mining. ‎

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 ‎The fight against Galamsey: National Task Forces Intensify Crackdown on Illegal Mining.  ‎ ‎Story by: Mary Bempah ‎ ‎Accra, Ghana – October 17, 2025: ‎Ghana’s fight against illegal mining has been stepped up following a joint nationwide operation by the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) and the Blue Water Guards. ‎ ‎The four-day enforcement exercise, conducted from October 13 to 16, targeted illegal mining activities in the Eastern and Western Regions, leading to the destruction and seizure of heavy machinery, including 12 excavators, 24 pumping machines, and 20 Changfan gold extraction units. ‎ ‎In the Eastern Region, NAIMOS operatives raided illegal sites in Oda Nkwanta, Old Abirem, Kyekyenkun, and the Oboho Forest Reserve, where three suspects were arrested and several pieces of equipment confiscated. ‎ ‎Simultaneously, the Blue Water Guards launched operations in Wassa Agona, Bogoso, Bayeregyia, and Mpohor in the Western Region, destroying ille...

Ho Selected to Host Ghana’s 41st National Farmers’ Day Celebration

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 Ho Selected to Host Ghana’s 41st National Farmers’ Day Celebration Accra, Ghana – October 18, 2025: Story by:Mary Bempah The Ministry of Food and Agriculture has announced that this year’s 41st National Farmers’ Day Grand Durbar and Awards Ceremony will be held in Ho, the capital of the Volta Region, on Friday, December 5, 2025. Launching the event in Accra, the Minister for Food and Agriculture highlighted the celebration as a major milestone in recognising the dedication, resilience, and patriotism of Ghana’s farmers, fishers, and agricultural workers who continue to drive the nation’s food security and economic growth. Celebrated annually since 1985, the National Farmers’ Day has become one of the country’s most important national events, honouring the contributions of farmers to sustainable development and national progress. Themed “Feed Ghana, Eat Ghana, Secure the Future,” this year’s celebration focuses on the government’s agenda to achieve self-sufficiency in food producti...

Agric Minister Urges Ghanaians to Embrace Backyard Farming for Food Security

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 Agric Minister Urges Ghanaians to Embrace Backyard Farming for Food Security Story by: Mary Bempah Accra, Ghana – The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Hon. Eric Opoku, has called on Ghanaians to adopt backyard farming as part of efforts to enhance food security and promote sustainable agriculture. He made the appeal during the commemoration of the 45th World Food Day and the 80th Anniversary of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Speaking at the event, Hon. Opoku explained that the FAO was founded 80 years ago after the devastation of the World Wars, with a mission to eliminate global hunger and starvation. Ghana, he said, was proud to join the rest of the world in marking both milestones under the theme “Hand in Hand for Better Food for a Better Future.” He encouraged citizens to cultivate simple vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, onions, and garden eggs in their homes to reduce household food expenses and support the nation’s quest for food self-sufficiency. The Mi...

Invest In Agricultural Infrastructure To Keep Food Prices Low_ Gov't Statistician

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Invest In Agricultural Infrastructure To Keep Food Prices Low_ Gov't Statistician  Government Statistician, Dr. Alhassan Iddrisu, has called for urgent investment in agriculture infrastructure to sustain the recent decline in food inflation, which has helped push the country’s overall inflation rate into single digits for the first time in four years. His comments come after data from the Ghana Statistical Service showed inflation dropped to 9.4% in September, down from 11.5% in August. The decline was largely driven by easing food prices, with food inflation falling to 11%, compared to 14.8% the previous month. In an interview on The Point of View on Channel One TV on Wednesday October 8, Dr. Iddrisu highlighted the need to strengthen irrigation systems, improve food storage, and enhance transport networks to maintain stable food prices and reduce post-harvest losses. “To lock in the progress we have seen in food inflation, especially for staples like yam, cassava, rice, and veget...

Ghana’s Agric Minister Highlights Smallholder Farmers’ Role at World Farmers Markets Coalition Assembly in Rome

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 Ghana’s Agric Minister Highlights Smallholder Farmers’ Role at World Farmers Markets Coalition Assembly in Rome Rome, Italy —  Story by: Mary Bempah Ghana’s Minister for Food and Agriculture, Hon. Eric Opoku, has underscored the vital role of smallholder farmers in global food production, emphasizing the need for greater recognition and support for producers along the agricultural value chain. Delivering an address at the Third General Assembly of the World Farmers Markets Coalition (WorldFMC) in Rome, Italy, the Minister noted that farmers — the originators of food — have long been neglected despite their central role in sustaining global food systems. “Unfortunately, along the value chain, it is the producer who has been neglected all this while,” Hon. Opoku said. “That is why I consider this platform to be extremely important—it recognizes the farmer, the person who goes to the field, tills the land, plants the seed, and produces the food that sustains us all.” He revealed...

Ghana Secures €154 Million from Italy to Transform Agri-Food Systems

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 Ghana Secures €154 Million from Italy to Transform Agri-Food Systems The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Hon. Eric Opoku, has secured a €154 million financing agreement from the Italian government under the project titled “Strengthening Agri-Food Ecosystems in Ghana” to boost food security and modernize the country’s agricultural value chain. The project, operating under AID 013210, is a three-year initiative beginning in 2025 and ending in 2027. It seeks to improve food security and strengthen resilience to climate change through investments and public-private partnerships between Ghanaian and Italian agricultural institutions and private sector actors. Under the project, 10,000 hectares of land will be developed into a model farm for the production of maize, rice, tomato, and soya. The farm will operate under full-year irrigation to ensure continuous production, with all produce targeted at supplying the domestic market. An Italian organization, the International Centre for A...

Ghana’s Agric Minister Attends 8th Agrilevante Fair in Italy — Calls for Stronger Research and Partnerships for Sustainable Food Production

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 Ghana’s Agric Minister Attends 8th Agrilevante Fair in Italy — Calls for Stronger Research and Partnerships for Sustainable Food Production.  Story by: Mary Bempah Bari, Italy – October 8, 2025: Ghana’s Minister for Food and Agriculture, Hon. Eric Opoku, has called for deeper collaboration between African countries and the Italian private sector to promote sustainable agricultural growth and food security. The Minister made the call at the Eighth Agrilevante Fair, currently underway in Bari, Italy, from October 7 to 11, 2025. The international fair, organized by FederUnacoma — the Italian Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers’ Federation — in partnership with regional institutions in Puglia, brings together policymakers, researchers, and agribusiness leaders from across the world to explore innovations in agricultural machinery, technology, and animal husbandry. Speaking at an evening program themed “Strengthening Agro-Food Ecosystems in Ghana, Republic of the Congo, and Seneg...

Agric Minister Launches Tomato Processing Initiative to Boost Agribusiness in Agogo

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Agric Minister Launches Tomato Processing Initiative to Boost Agribusiness in Agogo Story by: Mary Bempah THE MINISTER for Food and Agriculture, Hon. Eric Opoku, has broken ground for the construction of a tomato processing plant at Agogo, the district capital of Asante Akyem North in the Ashanti Region. ‎ ‎ ‎The project forms part of the government’s agenda to add value to agricultural production and boost local agribusiness under the Feed Ghana Programme. ‎ ‎As part of his working visit, the Minister also presented 2,000 bags of fertilizer, improved tomato seeds, onion seeds, and watermelon seeds to farmers in the district. This marks the second time he has supplied agricultural inputs to farmers in Asante Akyem North. ‎ ‎According to him, the district is among the selected areas benefiting from government support for improved seed distribution under a pilot scheme this year. ‎Hon. Opoku further commissioned a mechanized borehole for plantain traders at the Agogo Plantain Market to e...