President John Mahama has called for a bold transformation in Ghana’s agricultural sector during his keynote address at the opening of the Ghana Horticultural Expo 2025.
Addressing a gathering of stakeholders, he stressed the urgent need for collaboration between development partners, financial institutions, and the private sector to rejuvenate agriculture and drive sustainable growth.
“This isn’t just a room full of donors — you are partners in progress,” President Mahama said, urging financial institutions to take risks and actively support agribusiness startups. He singled out the Ghana Ex-Im Bank, encouraging it to be a driving force in the export sector: “We need real capital to spark innovation and scale.”
His remarks struck a powerful chord with young people and women, whom he encouraged to see agriculture not as a fallback, but as a promising and profitable path. “Own it, live it, and thrive in it,” he urged, aiming to shift perceptions and inspire a new generation of agri-entrepreneurs.
Mahama also challenged the private sector to invest with long-term vision and align with government efforts to improve processing and export infrastructure. “Let’s move from conferences to cold chains, from wares to warehouses, and from policies to productivity,” he declared.
Drawing inspiration from Ghana’s history, Mahama echoed the words of the country’s first president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah: “Seek ye first the political kingdom.” He then offered a modern vision: “Today, I say to our exporters and to our nation — seek ye first the productive economy. Let us grow Ghana one fruit, one field, one future at a time.”
Recognizing the central role of farmers, he called them “the backbone of this renewal,” while describing the youth as “the heartbeat of our ambition,” underscoring their importance to Ghana’s agricultural revival.
He concluded with a confident message to the global community: “Ghana is open for business — green, export-ready, and growing with purpose.” With that, he officially launched the Ghana Horticultural Expo 2025, ushering in a renewed era of opportunity and innovation in agriculture.
