Sep 15, 2026
Vice President Prof Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has called for greater investment in Ghana’s horticulture sector, saying it can create jobs, build businesses and open new export opportunities for the country.
She said the sector must be viewed beyond the beauty of gardens and flowers, highlighting the broader economic activities that support the industry.
“Behind what we see are growers, skills, services, markets, and livelihoods,” she said.
Prof Naana Jane made the remarks on Friday when she opened the 14th Ghana Garden and Flower Show in Accra.
According to her, the opportunity lies in helping horticultural enterprises grow into sustainable businesses that can employ others, supply larger markets and compete internationally.
“The opportunity is to help more of these enterprises develop into sustainable businesses that can employ others, supply larger markets, and, where possible, compete beyond Ghana,” she said.
She pointed to Kenya as an example of what Ghana can achieve, insisting that the country has the potential to match or surpass such achievements.
“We know we can do same, if not more,” she said.
However, she stressed that developing the sector requires attention to the entire value chain, particularly because horticultural products can be highly perishable.
“Horticulture is demanding because much of what it produces sometimes is perishable,” she said.
She called for reliable transport, storage, quality standards, finance and access to markets to prevent value from being lost.
Under the government’s Feed Ghana Programme, she noted that vegetables are among the priority crops, with opportunities to expand production through irrigation, improved inputs, greenhouse production and better market access.
She also highlighted the establishment of farmer service centres across the country, which are expected to provide producers with export support, inputs, machinery, and market linkages.
Prof Naana Jane said horticulture also presents opportunities for young people by bringing together agriculture, technology, creativity and enterprise.
“The opportunity is not only to encourage young people to grow more, but also to help them to see the businesses they can build around their produce,” she said.
She further linked the growth of horticulture to Ghana’s environmental agenda, including the Tree for Life initiative and efforts to improve green spaces in towns and cities.
“Greening should therefore not be something we consider after development; greening should be part of development itself,” she said.
She urged local authorities, developers and businesses to create demand for green spaces while ensuring Ghanaian producers are equipped to serve the market and pursue export opportunities.
“Green means business,” she said, urging stakeholders to work together to make Ghana greener while creating businesses and livelihoods.
She also called on training institutions, financial institutions, the private sector and industry groups to play their respective roles in building the sector.
“Training institutions can develop the skills the sector needs. Financial institutions can support viable enterprises. The private sector can develop markets, and movements such as this one can continue bringing the industry together and making its possibilities visible,” she said.
Source:https://www.myjoyonline.com/
Sep 14, 2026
President John Dramani Mahama has reiterated his administration’s commitment to phase out the Double-Track System in the nation’s senior high schools (SHSs).
He said by the end of 2027, no school in Ghana should still be operating the double-track system, assuring that all students would attend school and vacate at the same time.
The President said this would increase contact hours between teachers and learners and improve educational outcomes.
President Mahama made the remarks during a Citizens’ Engagement held in Wa at the climax of his two-day Resetting Ghana Tour of the Upper West Region.
He noted that the Government had secured a 300-million-dollar facility from the World Bank to support efforts to eliminate the double-track system.
Touching on challenges in the education sector, President Mahama said his administration inherited a situation in which the Free Senior High School programme had been introduced without a dedicated funding source.
“As a result, schools depended on delayed budget releases every year. Headmasters constantly complained about inadequate funding and shortages of food,” he said.
He said some schools had to feed students with whatever food items were available because supplies arrived irregularly.
The President said the Government had since established dedicated funding for SHSs and student feeding programmes.
“Today, we have established dedicated funding for Senior High Schools. We have also created dedicated financing for student feeding, and complaints from headmasters have reduced considerably,” he said.
President Mahama also commented on the recent West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results, which he said had generated considerable public discussion.
“I do not wish to debate the statistics today because the figures are available for everyone to examine,” he said.
The President expressed satisfaction that the results reflected the genuine performance of students, attributing the development partly to improved invigilation and a reduction in organised examination malpractice.
“The era when students felt entitled to leaked answers and attacked teachers who enforced discipline must remain behind us,” President Mahama said.
“Our children must succeed because they have learned, and our teachers must teach with integrity,” he added.
Source:https://www.myjoyonline.com/
Sep 14, 2026
The Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, says he has asked the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFUND) to allocate GH¢250 million this year to expand infrastructure in Category A senior high schools.
According to him, the additional investment will help ease pressure on some of the country’s most sought-after schools, which have experienced a sharp rise in student numbers under the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, September 12, during a discussion on the SHS placement crisis, Mr Iddrisu said he had already discussed the matter with the GETFUND administrator.
“I’m also happy to note that I requested, and I had a discussion with the administrator of GETFUND, that he should make an allocation of 250 million this year,” he said.
The minister said the funds would be used to expand facilities in Category A schools, while other infrastructure needs would be addressed through the government’s planned World Bank-funded programme.
“Then we can expand the facilities in the Category A schools, while the World Bank focuses on other areas,” Mr Iddrisu said.
Mr Iddrisu said the planned expansion would cover some of the country’s leading senior high schools, including Achimota School, Wesley Girls’ High School, Wesley College, Presbyterian Boys’ Secondary School (PRESEC) and Prempeh College.
He said the government intends to provide additional classrooms and accommodation facilities to help the schools cope with increasing enrolment.
“We can start classrooms, two dormitories, male and female, at Achimota, Wesley Girls, Holy Child, Presec, and Prempeh,” he said.
The minister’s comments come amid growing concerns over the ability of some Category A schools to accommodate the number of students seeking admission.
The pressure has contributed to the difficulties experienced by some students and parents during the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) process, particularly where demand for places far exceeds available capacity.
Mr Iddrisu also defended the government’s decision to increase investment in community-based secondary education as part of a longer-term solution to the placement challenges.
He said President John Mahama had directed him to pursue the construction of model community day schools in selected areas.
“That’s what I said; the President has directed me. For instance, in Nima, Ayawaso, we’ll build a model community day school,” he said.
Mr Iddrisu said the project would also form part of the government’s broader infrastructure plans, adding that President Mahama would cut the sod for the $300 million project once procurement processes have been completed.
“That is where President Mahama will cut the sword for the Star J 300 million U.S. dollar project, as soon as we are done with procurement,” he said.
He also announced plans for special education facilities in other parts of the country.
“We’ll build special education in Ho, and then Sunyani, and we are considering one for Kintampo,” he said.
Beyond the immediate placement crisis, Mr Iddrisu said Ghana needs to reconsider how resources are distributed across the education sector.
He said he had taken note of suggestions from education experts, including Professor Adei and the late Professor Gyaama, who he said had written extensively on education.
“We are at it, but I take the advice from Professor Adei, and he and other persons, including the late Professor Jampa, wrote extensively on education,” he said.
the minister said that Ghana is spending too much on secondary education at the expense of foundational learning at the basic level.
“But, again, Ghana, we are spending too much on secondary education,” he said.
“That is the major damage that privatisation did to Ghana’s education system.”
Mr Iddrisu said education resources should instead be directed towards foundational learning, particularly literacy and numeracy.
“Everywhere in the world, focus, resources, and investment must be aligned to foundational learning, basic education, where literacy and numeracy are gained.”
“If a child gets literacy right, that child is more likely to succeed,” he said.
The minister also pointed to the government’s spending on the school feeding programme as an example of investment at the basic education level.
He said the government currently spends about GH¢3.4 billion on school feeding.
“But we are spending 3.4 billion on school feeding, in the name of pre-senior high school,” he said.
He added that, despite the broader concerns about education spending, the school feeding programme remains a positive intervention.
“At least, that’s a good thing we have also done as a government,” Mr Iddrisu said.
Source:https://www.myjoyonline.com/
Sep 14, 2026
President John Dramani Mahama has announced plans to establish a maize processing plant in the Sissala area of the Upper West Region as part of efforts to tackle the recurring glut faced by maize farmers.
The facility, he said, will create a reliable market for maize producers while adding value to the crop for both domestic consumption and export.
President Mahama said the initiative was intended to encourage increased production by ensuring farmers have a market for their harvest.
“We are going to set up a maize processing plant in the Sissala area. The plant will not only buy the maize, but it will also process the maize for the market and for export, and so I believe that this glut will become a thing of the past,” he said during a citizens’ engagement at the University of Business and Integrated Development Studies on Saturday, September 12.
President Mahama also announced plans to increase funding to the National Food Buffer Stock Company to enable it to purchase more surplus maize.
He said inadequate storage capacity had constrained the company’s ability to absorb excess production and disclosed that silos would be constructed at its storage centres to expand its capacity.
“Aside from that, we are increasing the amount of money that we are giving to Buffer Stock to off-take the excess maize,” he added.
Source:https://www.citinewsroom.com/
Sep 11, 2026
Investment in agricultural development and appropriate technology remains the surest pathway for Ghana to transform its economy, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Engineering and Agricultural Sciences (UEAS), Professor Mark Adom-Asamoah, has said.
He said countries that had successfully developed had done so on the back of agriculture and industry, stressing the need for Ghana to adopt a modern approach to agricultural education and production.
Professor Adom-Asamoah made the remarks yesterday when he led a three-member delegation from UEAS on a courtesy call on the management of the New Times Corporation (NTC), publishers of The Ghanaian Times and The Spectator.
Source:https://ghanaiantimes.com.gh/
Sep 10, 2026
The government has secured a $7 million grant from the Green Climate Fund to strengthen the resilience of smallholder farmers and vulnerable communities in Northern Ghana.
The seven-year project will be implemented across eight districts and will focus on climate-resilient agriculture, improved early warning systems and increased access to climate finance.
Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, said the project was developed in response to climate-related challenges identified during engagements between the ministry and local communities.
Her statement was read by Ruth Dzokoto, Deputy Director of Administration at the Office of the Minister of State for Climate Change and Sustainability.
Agyeman-Rawlings said climate change was increasingly affecting agriculture, water resources, infrastructure, livelihoods and local economic activity, making it a development challenge rather than solely an environmental concern.
“Climate change is consistently identified not simply as an environmental issue but as a development and livelihood issue affecting agriculture, water resources, infrastructure, livelihoods and local economic growth,” she said.
According to the Minister, local authorities generally understand the climate challenges confronting their communities but often lack the technical capacity, institutional support and predictable financing required to develop practical solutions.
“We also heard very clearly that our local authorities understand the challenges confronting their communities but often require stronger technical capacity, institutional support and access to predictable climate finance to turn their knowledge into practical and bankable solutions,” she said.
The project, secured through the Environmental Protection Agency, will strengthen the capacity of district-level authorities to plan and budget for climate adaptation.
It will also improve access to climate information and early warning systems, while supporting climate-resilient agriculture and ecosystem-based adaptation.
The initiative will further facilitate access to climate finance and strengthen community knowledge and participation in climate adaptation efforts.
Agyeman-Rawlings called for stronger collaboration among government institutions, local authorities, development partners and communities to ensure that climate interventions deliver tangible improvements in livelihoods.
She said coordinated action was necessary to address the growing effects of climate change on vulnerable communities and build more resilient local economies.
Source: https://asaaseradio.com
