Implement good policies, don’t turn agric ministry into a farm gate – Dr. Bonaa to Bryan Acheampong

Security and safety analyst, Dr Adam Bonaa has stated his expectations for the minister-designate for agriculture, Bryan Acheampong.

According to Dr Bonaa, he expects the Abetifi Member of Parliament to use his background in security to correct the many wrongs at the ministry and ultimately ensure food security for the country.

“My expectations are that he will right the wrongs at the agric ministry; I am not expecting the minister-designate for agric to go and also turn the agric ministry into a farm gate.

"I am expecting him to come up with policies, I am expecting him to ensure that the smuggling of cocoa beans will be stopped and that using his security knowledge, he will be able to stop the flow of stolen fertilisers that we use taxpayers money to import.

"I am expecting him to ensure that those who are benefiting largely from the smuggling of fertilisers, he will stop it, get them arrested and prosecuted. And also ensure that he comes up with good policies that will help the ordinary farmer,” Dr Bonaa told GhanaWeb in an interview.

Mr Acheampong has been named by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as the replacement for Dr Afriyie Akoto who recently resigned from his post to contest in the upcoming flagbearership race of the New Patriotic Party.

The outgoing minister during his tenure spearheaded some of the government’s flagship policies including the Planting for Food and Jobs policy.

On the back of the recent rise in food prices, the ministry under Dr Akoto’s leadership introduced an open market at the ministry dubbed the Planting for Food and Jobs Market.

Critics of the outgone minister say he failed in his duty although Mr Akoto vehemently argued otherwise.

Describing the current state of the agric ministry as petty, Dr Bonaa further challenged the incoming minister to redeem the image of the agric sector in Ghana by turning things around.

“At the moment it looks so petty, the agric ministry has suffered. You know how much food crops cost today in this country. I do believe that he should also take what we have done in the past. Some of the best persons who helped this country in terms of agric; animal husbandry and the rest actually had security background. Look at the famous operation feed yourself, was it not led by Acheampong?

"When you take Major Courage Quoshigah when he was the agric minister we all saw what happened to the agric ministry in this country. So I am expecting Bryan Acheampong to use the skills and expertise he has gained over the years at the back of security and as other security persons have done, to raise the bar a lot higher,” he stated.

He also urged the incoming minister to solve the ever-present conflict between farmers and nomadic herdsmen using his background in security.

Currently a member of parliament, Bryan Acheampong is a former Minister of State at the Ministry of the Interior and the former Minister of State at the Ministry of National Security.

With a history as a retired soldier of the US Air Force, Bryan Acheampong’s experience spans Security, Intelligence, Politics, and Business Leadership.

His expertise includes Anti-Terrorism, Force Protection, Laws of Armed Conflict, Conventional Defence Training, Weapons, Small Arms, and Fuels. His experience spans Security, Intelligence, Politics, and Business Leadership.

GA/SARA