Time to treat agriculture as business is now – Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has stated that the time has come for Africa to see agriculture as a business.

Speaking on a panel discussion on Economic Empowerment as a Pathway for Development at the Doha Forum 2025 on Saturday, President Mahama emphasised that the continent must leverage its comparative advantage in the agricultural sector.

“Unfortunately, the green revolution bypassed Africa, so Africa still has some of the most extensive arable lands that are yet to be put to productive use,” he stated.

With climate change looming, he added, that advantage can only be harnessed through investment in irrigation services to enable year-round farming.

Citing a personal example, President Mahama narrated how a large swathe of crops on his farm was destroyed because the rain stopped for ten weeks. This experience, along with the many untold stories of farmers across the country, has necessitated his government’s focus on investing in affordable irrigation services to ensure continuous farming.

To maximise farming as a business, President Mahama highlighted the importance of a comprehensive module to avoid crop glut. “It is not enough to ask farmers to produce. You need to develop an off-take for their produce. If you don’t develop the agribusiness sector, the farmer will produce but have no market,” he noted.

To this end, he said his government is engaged in “public good” by subsidising fertilisers and improved seeds to increase yields.

Touching on education, President Mahama observed that the world is changing rapidly, and reforms are needed to reflect current realities. He said Ghana’s educational structure, inherited from its colonial masters, emphasises mastering English over functional skills.

“Industries are looking for middle-level technicians rather than professors or other high academic laurels. Yet, we are not training them in sufficient numbers for the world of work. This has created a structural unemployment problem. Yes, there are jobs looking for technicians, engineers, and the likes, yet we are producing more graduates in business and humanities, creating a misfit,” he added.

To address this misfit, he stated that the government is focused on expanding access to technical and vocational education.

BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI

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