Agribusiness Chamber urge gov’t to “walk the talk” on tax waiver promise

By Kingsley Webora TANKEH 

Following government’s pledge to waive taxes on agro-processing machinery, the Chamber of Agribusiness Ghana has challenged it to immediately back its promise with action or risk stalling what it termed a “positive step toward achieving machinery sufficiency.”

While commending the Deputy Minister of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Sampson Ahi’s announcement of an import duty waiver for agri-processing machinery as a “positive step,” the chamber warned that the “true measure of success will lie in its timely and effective implementation.” The deputy minister made the announcement at the Regional Agribusiness Dialogue in Sunyani.

In a strongly worded statement released on October 14, 2025, co-signed by the Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber and Agribusiness Policy and Research Advisory, the chamber laid out a four-point non-negotiable plan for implementing the waiver to promote agribusiness in Ghana.

“The realignment of the ministry to include ‘Agribusiness’ was a symbolic first step. These announced actions are the tangible policies required to give that change meaning. We now urge the government to swiftly translate these announcements into actionable legislation and concrete programmes,” a portion of the statement read.

It noted that the intervention is critical to stimulating the much-needed investment, enhancing productivity and improving competitiveness across Ghana’s agribusiness value chains; hence, should not be toyed with. It called for the policy to be given priority.

The chamber, therefore, urged government to expedite the implementation of the tax waiver, demanding that government publishes a clear timeline and a statutory instrument to give immediate legal impetus to the tax relief, arguing that without this, the announcement remains just a promise – incapable of stimulating investment.

As the issue of access to finance persists, the chamber is calling on government to, beyond the waiver, allocate sufficient funds and technical support to local manufacturers like the GRATIS Foundation. According to them, this is critical to ensuring the medium-term strategy of building local capacity for the manufacture of machinery, cutting the import bill and ensuring that the local manufacturers do not fold up due to a lack of resources.

However, the chamber urged government to incorporate the “specific and practical inputs” of farmers and processors from all regions to ensure the policy is grounded in reality.

“We believe that through sustained dialogue and a shared commitment to execution, we can collectively reset Ghana’s agribusiness sector, drive sustainable industrial growth and secure a more prosperous future for all Ghanaians,” the chamber stated.

Lending a voice to the national fight against Galamsey, the chamber declared that ending illegal mining “should be among the top priorities” in any policy that seeks to revive agribusiness, linking the reclamation of farmland and water bodies to the sector’s viability.

The Chamber of Agribusiness Ghana is the leading voice for agribusiness in Ghana, advocating for policies that promote a sustainable, profitable and food-secure nation.

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