This he said formed part of his agenda to help cut down on the country’s rice and poultry impor­tation bill which now stood at over $3 billion annually despite having the capacity to produce them locally,

Speaking during a visit to the Ghana Atomic Energy Com­mission (GAEC), the National Biosafety Authority (NBA), and the Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NRA), he expressed concern over the country’s growing dependence on imports.

The visit, which took place in Accra on Thursday as part of the minister’s efforts to evaluate the operations, challenges, and contributions of agencies under his ministry and identify ways to align their work with the government’s economic and industrial agenda.

“In December 2016, we were spending about $500 million— sometimes even less—on rice and poultry imports. In just eight years, this figure has skyrocketed to over $3 billion. That explains why our economy is struggling—we are overly dependent on imports,” he stated.

He emphasised that local institutions such as GAEC had the potential to provide solutions to Ghana’s economic challenges, particularly in agriculture, health, and water production.

He cited GAEC’s tissue culture technology as an example of an innovation that could significantly boost food production if properly harnessed.

“In 2014, we successfully re­duced rice imports by 60 per cent and increased local production by 40 per cent. This proves that we have the capacity to do it again. I will serve as a messenger to com­municate your work to Ghanaians and His Excellency, the President,” he assured.

As part of his broader engage­ment with MESTI agencies, Mr Mohammed highlighted the need to eliminate bureaucratic silos and foster greater inter-agency collab­oration, particularly in areas like Ghana’s foundry industry, which could help reduce reliance on im­ported tools and equipment.

“The foundry is about 95 per cent complete, with all machinery already in place. We need a little below GH¢ 300 million to make it fully operational. I can assure you that we will factor this into the next budget, and I have no doubt that we will receive favourable gov­ernment approval,” he stated.

He reiterated his commitment to bridging the gap between govern­ment policy and scientific innova­tion to drive national development, stressing the importance of fully understanding the operations of MESTI agencies to align them effectively with the government’s policy direction.

“As the new minister of MESTI, I felt it was important for me to be brought up to speed and gain a proper appreciation of the various agencies’ operations. This is not the first time I am engaging the Di­rector-General and his directors—I engaged them before my vetting. I want to use this opportunity to thank them for their guidance, which made the process smooth,” he said.

Mr Mohammed assured staff and stakeholders of his open-minded approach, empha­sising that he has no biases against any agency or individual.

He further instructed GAEC and its departments to submit a proposal outlining their strategic needs and innovative projects, which he would present to the President for possible discussion at the Cabinet level.