President John Dramani Mahama has called for a decisive shift from raw commodity exports to value addition, warning that Ghana can no longer take pride in exporting unprocessed agricultural produce if it seeks long-term economic resilience and job creation.
Speaking at the Ghana Tree Crops Investment Summit held at the Accra International Conference Centre, President Mahama said the summit marked a strategic step in resetting Ghana’s economy through agriculture-led industrial transformation.
“This summit is not merely ceremonial; it is strategic,” he said. “It reflects a central commitment of the NDC’s 2024 manifesto to reset Ghana’s economy by strengthening productive sectors, expanding exports, creating decent jobs, and positioning agriculture as a driver of industrial transformation.”
Touching on regional security, the President described the sub-region as increasingly fragile, referencing the recent deadly attack on Ghanaian tomato traders in Burkina Faso. He noted that the incident underscored how insecurity threatens regional integration and cross-border trade.
“We live in a dangerous sub-region,” Mahama said. “A recent incident has shown what the threat of instability and insecurity is to our regional integration and trade.” He extended condolences to affected families and disclosed that the Ghana Armed Forces were coordinating medical evacuation for survivors to continue treatment in Ghana.
President Mahama, a self-declared farmer, also challenged public officials, traditional authorities and religious leaders to actively engage in agriculture, particularly tree crops. He stressed that access to land remains a major barrier and called on traditional rulers to play a leading role.
“One of the major hindrances to tree crop development is access to land,” he said. “Traditional rulers, as custodians of the land, should take a keen interest in promoting tree crops in their jurisdictions.”
He revealed that he personally cultivates cocoa and oil palm, noting that policy decisions on pricing, fertiliser and inputs affect him directly. “When the price is reduced, it affects me too,” he said. “We must walk the talk and lead by example.”
On cocoa, the President criticised Ghana’s continued dependence on exporting raw beans, describing it as an outdated model inherited from the colonial era. “In the 21st century, being the leading exporter of raw cocoa beans is not an accolade we should take pride in,” he said. “We should take pride in being the leading exporter of manufactured cocoa products.”
He explained that government intends to reform cocoa financing by raising funds locally, paying farmers promptly, and allocating a defined share of beans to domestic processors to stabilise prices and create jobs.
Invoking an Akan proverb, President Mahama urged investors and citizens to back the tree crops agenda. “When you climb a good tree, that is when you are supported,” he said. “Today, Ghana is climbing a good tree — the tree crop sector. We invite all Ghanaians and our partners to climb this tree with us.”
Held under the theme “Sustainable Growth Through Tree Crops Investment: Resetting and Building Ghana’s Green Economy,” the summit positioned tree crops as central to diversifying agriculture, reducing climate and price shocks, and driving Ghana’s long-term economic transformation.
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Source:
www.gbcghanaonline.com