Focus on Agriculture to grow Ghana’s Economy – AGI President
The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) has urged
the government to focus on agriculture to grow Ghana’s
economy.
Dr. Humphrey Kwesi Ayim Darke, the President of
the AGI has advocated that agriculture is one area
that requires serious intervention for economic
transformation.
Focus on Agriculture to grow Ghana’s
Economy – AGI President
He indicates that there is an urgent need for
partnerships in technical cooperation, particularly in
the area of agribusiness, particularly regarding value
addition and processing.
The AGI president expressed with subtle vehemence
the need to place an export tariff on the primary raw
agriculture products (non-cash crops) to encourage
processing, job creation, value addition, domestic
tax generation and structural transformation of the
economy, as well as food security for the nation.
The president of AGI made the clarion call when he
spoke at the India-Ghana Industrial Summit organized
by the AGI together with the Indian High Commission
in Accra at Kempinski Hotel Accra. He said, focusing
on the agricultural sector was the surest way to
accelerate Ghana’s economic development.
The call forms part of the AGI’s agricultural
transformation programme, which is aimed at speeding
Ghana’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. He
stated that AGI would soon provide the blueprint to the
government for it to be incorporated into the national
development agenda.
According to Dr. Darke, agriculture is a critical area in
which the government needs to refocus to improve the
economy significantly. He praised the government’s
One District, One Factory (1D1F) strategy as one of
the commendable steps that may help agriculture to
expand.
He advocated the prohibition of export of some basic
Dr. Kwesi Humphrey Ayim-Darke,
President of the Association of Ghana Industries
agro-goods to which the country can add value.
Dr. Darke said exporting raw resources would generate
relatively little economic benefit because the importing
countries decide the price of such primary products.
As a result, he expressed the belief that it was in the
country’s best interests to give domestic producers
first advantage of control of certain raw materials.
He argued that a restriction on the export of paddy
rice and cashew, for example, would push their foreign
competitors who source raw agro-products locally to
build factories in the country, resulting in more jobs.
“Why should it be the case that paddy rice is exported
in its raw state while we have factories in Ghana which
could add value to it?” he asked.