A new dawn begins. Ghana’s long-standing vision of celebrating and empowering farmers, uniquely initiated under the PNDC administration led by Flt. Lt. J.J. Rawlings, in the mid-1980s, continues to yield huge dividends.
The 41st National Farmers Day (NFD), held on December 5, 2025, in Ho, has been widely described as one of the most impactful editions.
From the moment President John Dramani Mahama arrived at the venue to his proclamation of Ho as an ‘Oxygen City’, the mood remained joyfully festive throughout.
With the theme “Feed Ghana, Eat Ghana, Secure the Future,” this year’s event reinforced the centrality of agriculture to food sovereignty, sustainable growth, green jobs and climate resilience.
Week-long series
A week-long series of exhibitions well coordinated by the Agrihouse Foundation in collaboration with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) showcased innovations spanning irrigation, livestock management, fisheries, digitalisation and value addition.
These exhibitions provided clear evidence that Farmers Day has evolved from a symbolic celebration into a powerful public engagement platform for policy discourses regarding modern, AI-enabled, and climate-smart agriculture.
Nationally, Abraham Kwaku Adusei from the Eastern Region was declared the 2025 Overall National Best Farmer, receiving an award package worth nearly USD 106,000 in recognition of his strong commitment to sustainable, commercial, and diversified farming.
The University of Ghana was honoured as the National Best University in Practical Agriculture, recognising its contribution to research and sector-wide skill development.
In a demonstration of private-sector alignment with national priorities, Stanbic Bank donated a new tractor to support MoFA’s mechanisation agenda.
President Mahama reaffirmed the government’s promise for bold agricultural reforms, noting a drastic reduction in food inflation, from 28.3 per cent in January to 9.5 per cent in October 2025, driven by improved seed and fertiliser distribution systems and the scaling up of irrigated agriculture.
While it remains unclear whether relocating the agribusiness unit from MoFA to the Ministry of Trade and Industry elevates recent gains, the whole momentum undoubtedly reflects increased policy coherence and investment.
Why 2025 edition stands out
This year’s NFD intentionally focused on agrifood value-chain development, aligning strongly with the government’s ambition to reduce the national food import bill, boost locally led production, and promote systemic agricultural efficiency.
The approach also supports targets under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement.
The active involvement of institutions such as ADB, Stanbic Bank, AgriHouse, Sino-Machinery, the University of Ghana, and multiple financial and agritech organisations highlights a system-wide direction to transforming agriculture.
This multi-stakeholder model strengthens the long-term sustainability of the NFD initiative, moving it beyond one-off awards toward strategic development of the nation.
Looking ahead
Despite the national euphoria around the 41st NFD, Ghana’s overdependence on imported food remains a structural challenge.
As such, meaningful improvement will require systems rethinking, a method that ensures consistent implementation of integrated policies to expand access to microcredit for vulnerable farming households, mechanised tools, rural infrastructure, such as roads, storage and markets, and value-addition facilities.
Equally important is the need to scale up agri-innovations to reach smallholders, while proactively reassessing and responding to interconnected global polycrisis, risks and threats.
Without broad-based adoption across regions, markets and production, the maximum benefits of current reforms may not fully materialise.
Engaging youth
Mentoring and engaging young people are other critical factors. Practically, reskilling youth capacity in climate resilience, agritech and agrientrepreneurship is essential for sustaining national food systems.
In this regard, the Public Agricultural Colleges of Ghana (PACsG) — located at Ohawu, Kwadaso, Ejura, Pong-Tamale and Damongo — remain significantly crucial.
However, even as some junior and senior high schools received certificates of recognition from the MoFA, the PACsG were noticeably neglected in the 2025 NFD award narratives.
This raises genuine concerns and has left both PACsG students and staff dispirited, especially since many of them still depend on infrastructure dating back to the era of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah's regime.
The inclusion of PACsG, the heart of training the country’s middle-level manpower, in the government’s “School Agriculture Programme”, “Big Push Programme”, and subsequent Farmers Day celebrations is, therefore, strongly advocated.
Just as the Ministry of Education annually honours teachers through the Ghana Education Service — celebrating Colleges of Education in the process — MoFA should also prioritise, retool and intentionally recognise its own PACsG during national platforms such as the NFDs.
Conclusion
Successfully chaired by Togbe Afede XIV, Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State, the 2025 NFD marked a strategic turning point towards agri-innovations.
By transforming agricultural value chains and adequately investing in farmers, Ghana is laying a solid foundation for resilient food futures.
With sustained policy support, especially for smallholders, the reset agrifood vision of the government can rapidly translate into measurable national development gains.
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