The two-day National Seed System Reset Programme has commenced at the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) Car Park, University of Ghana, Legon, bringing together policymakers, agricultural experts, seed producers, development partners and other key stakeholders to advance discussions on strengthening Ghana’s seed system as part of the country’s broader agricultural transformation agenda.
Organised by the 24-Hour Economy Authority in partnership with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ghana and the Ghana Seed Partnership, the programme seeks to create a modern, coordinated pipeline to ensure farmers have reliable access to improved seed varieties.
Head of Sector Strategy and Integration at the 24-Hour Economy Authority, Dr. Charles T. Nornoo, emphasised that a reliable and efficient seed delivery system is crucial to Ghana achieving its ambitious plans to expand irrigated farming along the Volta Basin.
The government aims to cultivate up to two million hectares of farmland, particularly along the Volta Basin and its tributaries, as part of a strategic push to modernise the agricultural sector and strengthen national food security.
The initiative will leverage the Volta Economic Corridor to provide infrastructure, irrigation systems and multimodal transport networks to facilitate production and market access.
“In addition to what we already have, we are looking at what exists along the Volta Basin and its tributaries,” Dr. Nornoo said.
“To do two million hectares of cultivation requires a lot of enablers, which we recognised at the very beginning.”
He highlighted that seed availability is one of the most critical factors underpinning the success of large-scale irrigation and multiple cropping cycles.
“You cannot think about doing two million hectares of planting and irrigation, which means multiple crops in a year and different types of seeds, and not think about how you are going to get that seed,” he said.
While Ghana has strong research capacity and sufficient planting materials, Dr. Nornoo noted that the country’s key challenge lies in ensuring that improved seeds reach farmers effectively.
“We do not have a problem with research. We do not have a problem with material to plant,” he said. “The problem we have is how to ensure that our farmers get the seed to be able to plant.”
The programme seeks to build a robust delivery pipeline connecting research institutions, seed multipliers, certification bodies, government agencies and farmer organisations.
“All of us gathered here have a role to play,” Dr. Nornoo told participants, stressing that the discussions will culminate in the formation of a task team tasked with implementing decisions and ensuring effective rollout.
Dr. Nornoo acknowledged the support of development partners, including the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the Dutch Embassy and the J.E.T. Project, which have helped lay the groundwork for Ghana’s seed system reforms.
“It is just the beginning of what we have to do,” he said, calling for recognition of these partners’ contributions.
Presidential Advisor on the 24-Hour Economy initiative, Goosie Tanoh, described the programme as a central component of the government’s 24H+ vision, highlighting the potential of a modern seed system to serve as core economic infrastructure.
Participants toured WACCI’s laboratories, early-generation seed facilities, certification labs and the Horticulture Innovation Hub, observing first-hand the scientific and institutional foundations Ghana already possesses.
“What we experienced this afternoon is not a side event; it is the front door to how Ghana will deliver the 24H+ vision on the ground,” Mr Tanoh said.
He stressed that Ghana’s challenge is not a lack of technical capability but rather the need for stronger coordination, clear institutional architecture, and effective execution.
The programme featured exhibitions from several public and private organisations, including the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, the National Seed Trade Association of Ghana, the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, the government’s Feed Ghana Programme, Legacy Crop Improvement Centre, Integrated Water & Agricultural Development (Ghana) Limited, the Beela Project in partnership with TRAX, and the Ghana–Netherlands Seed Partnership.
“Private and public capabilities are not our constraint; architecture, coordination and execution are,” Mr Tanoh noted.
The Presidential Advisor outlined key performance targets for 2026, including:
- Activation of 200,000 jobs across priority sectors
- Integration of 500 SMEs into structured finance and industrial park ecosystems
- Mobilisation of over GH¢10 billion in capital commitments
- Operationalisation of the Volta Economic Corridor, including at least five agro-ecological or aquaculture parks and three industrial parks
- Establishment of three cooperative-owned production and processing enterprises
He stressed that achieving these objectives depends on an organised and well-financed seed system.
“When we discuss activating parks, corridors, export platforms and cooperative enterprises, we are essentially talking about reliable access to quality seed combined with anchor demand, finance and logistics,” Mr Tanoh said.
Mr Tanoh emphasised the need to protect intellectual property to incentivise innovation. Plant breeders, research institutions and private seed companies must be assured that their work is safeguarded through enforceable licensing agreements and clear legal frameworks governing plant breeders’ rights.
“Our aim is not to create barriers for farmers, but to balance affordable access to quality seed with clear rules on ownership, revenue sharing and technology transfer,” he said.
The Development Director at the British High Commission in Ghana, Terri Sarch, highlighted Ghana’s agricultural progress over the past two decades, noting that yields for crops such as Maize have doubled due to adoption of improved seed varieties.
She stressed that the adoption of certified seeds must increase if Ghana is to sustain productivity growth and adapt to climate change challenges, citing the need for early-maturing and drought-resilient varieties.
“Events like this remind us that progress is not driven by any single actor alone but through the combined efforts of farmers, researchers, policymakers, innovators and development partners like the UK and the Netherlands,” Ms Sarch said.
Mr Tanoh urged participants to move from discussion to practical action. He highlighted the formation of a Seed Systems Task Team with a 60-day mandate to present a detailed implementation roadmap and stressed that early-generation seed plans, regulatory reforms and pilot delivery models for maize and rice should be in place within 90 days.
“As we close Day One, we must return tomorrow not to recount problems but to design the seed system that will feed our parks, our cooperatives, our exporters and our urban consumers in a 24-hour economy,” he said.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com