Agriculture will lift Ghana out of poverty – Afriyie Akoto

Agriculture, they say is the backbone of every economy and it is for this reason that the former Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, has called for the transformation of the agricultural sector.

According to him, agriculture is the only means to lift Ghana out of poverty.

In his view, the agricultural sector will not only provide food security for the nation but also generate the necessary resources for the development of the other sectors including industry, health, education and infrastructure in the medium to long term.

Delivering a public lecture at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) on Monday, March 13, the former agric minister said, “I strongly believe agriculture will lift Ghana out of poverty and assure us not only of food security but also generate the necessary resources for the development of the other sectors including industry, health, education and infrastructure in the medium to long term.”

“This is evident from the current economic challenges confronting the world, food, renewable energy, water and big data will drive this new order...Africa, particularly Ghana can lead this new order by strengthening all sectors of the economy and transforming agriculture sustainably.”

Dr Afriyie Akoto further said Ghana needs to prioritize tree crop sub-sector to wean off its dependency on IMF dependency on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other bilateral donors.

ESA/FNOQ