President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has stated that the sustainability of Ghana's agriculture is dependent on the youth, and hence the government is banking on their vibrancy, new ideas, and creativity to enhance Ghana's collective fate.
"The youth are critical to the sustainability of Ghana's agriculture." "The youth are the future of this country, and we rely on their vibrancy, new ideas, and innovation to improve our collective fortune," stated President Akufo-Addo.
He thus issued a rallying cry to all young Ghanaians, educated and illiterate, to unite behind the new flagship government project "Youth in Agriculture" and pursue agriculture as a lifetime profession.
"Agriculture, a major economic sector, awaits the participation of both educated and uneducated youth." This discourse, this forum, is an important step toward leveraging the ability of the youth to address agricultural concerns. When realized, this would assure the long-term growth of agriculture for the benefit of our whole country," Akufo-Addo stated.
He made the allegation while speaking to delegates of the presidential conference on the "Youth in Agriculture" program, which was held today, Wednesday, October 18, 2023, at the Cedi Conference Centre, University of Ghana.
In his speech, the President stated, "It is clear that expanded opportunities for youth are inherent in the design of the program (Youth in Agriculture), which focuses on value-chain development."
"In order to maximize the program's benefits, I urge the youth to rally around this initiative (Youth in Agriculture) and form cooperatives and partnerships."
Economic revival:
Concerning the condition of the economy and the efforts being made by his government to restore economic stability and prosperity, President Akufo-Addo stated that there are obvious signals that the economy is on the mend, with proof of this being a decreasing trend in inflation.
"The prospects for a rebound are becoming increasingly favorable." We are working hard to keep this momentum going. Inflation has fallen from 54.1% in December 2022 to 38.1% in September, with every sign that it will be about 27% by the end of the year. 15% before the conclusion of my presidency next year," the President added.
Job seekers:
Bryan Acheampong, Minister of Food and Agriculture, stated that the new "Youth in Agriculture" project, which is part of the second phase of the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) program, is intended to help the young people enter agriculture as stress-free as possible.
"Our call to young people to work in agriculture is not based on a hole and a cutlass. "We are going to put 200,000 youth into permanent work in agriculture through the collaboration of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the YEA under the banner of "PFJ 2.0 young in Agriculture," with each individual cultivating an average farm size of 10 acres," Bryan Acheampong stated.
"This will imply cultivating 400,000 hectares of arable land." The commodities targeted by this initiative would include maize, rice, and vegetables.
"However, if we put all the 400,000 hectares of land under rice cultivation alone, we will exceed our food self-sufficiency production target of 1.8 million metric tonnes in two years instead of the five-year plan under the Planting for Food and Jobs Programme" said the Minister of Food and Agricultural Affairs.
The Youth in Agriculture Programme (YIAP) is a Government of Ghana (GOG) agricultural sector effort designed to encourage young people to accept and value farming/food production as a commercial endeavor, hence making farming a lifetime career.
The YIAP:
The YIAP's duty and obligation is to mobilize youngsters to pursue farming and associated activities as a lifetime profession. The following advantages will result from youth employment through the supply of tractor services and agro-inputs.
The Youth in Agriculture Programme aims to encourage young people to accept farming as a commercial business venture, to generate sufficient income to meet farmers' domestic and personal needs, to raise the youth's standard of living through improved income, to encourage young people to stay in rural areas by delivering inputs at their farm gate on credit and interest-free, and to produce enough food crops, meat, and fish using modern methods.
Crops / Block Farm, Livestock & Poultry, Fisheries/Aquaculture, and Agribusiness are the four (4) components of the Youth in Agriculture program. Anyone interested in farming, as well as organizations of young men and women in the community, and any institution that teaches farmers, can benefit from the program.
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