Dr. George Domfe, Executive Director of the Institute of Economic Research and Public Policy (IERPP), has highlighted Ghana’s excessive reliance on rain-fed agriculture as a significant obstacle to the country’s economic growth.
During the UPSA-IERPP Post-Budget Dialogue on the 2025 budget, themed “Unpacking the 2025 Budget: Implications for Economic Stability and Growth,”
Dr. Domfe criticized the nation’s dependence on rainfall for agricultural productivity, calling it detrimental to progress.
“We depend too much on rainfall for agriculture, and this needs to change. At 68 years old, Ghana should not still be importing rice from China and Thailand. This dependency is fueling unemployment and holding back the agricultural sector—which is a key contributor to GDP—from realizing its full potential,” he remarked.
Dr. Domfe, a development economist and Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Social Policy Studies (CSPS) at the University of Ghana, emphasized the importance of adding value to agricultural products.
He argued that processing raw agricultural goods into finished products would create jobs and contribute to economic stability.
“When the agriculture sector is integrated with manufacturing, employment will grow, and unemployment will decrease significantly. This transformation will also help strengthen the Ghanaian currency,” he explained.
He cautioned that Ghana’s inability to transform raw materials into finished goods for local consumption and export would continue to weaken the Cedi against foreign currencies.
“Should we keep depending solely on rainfall for agriculture? Can’t we diversify and modernize the sector to improve efficiency and productivity?” he asked.
The UPSA-IERPP Post-Budget Dialogue 2025, held on March 14, marked the first symposium organized by IERPP in partnership with the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), to foster discussions on vital economic policies and strategies for national development.
