The Deputy Communications Officer for the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Godwin Arko Gunn, has praised the government and Ministry of Food and Agriculture for securing €154 million from the Italian government to boost Ghana's Agri-food ecosystem.
Speaking on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' morning on Monday, October 13, 2025, Arko Gun stated that there have been significant improvements, both locally and internationally, since the new Mahama administration assumed office on January 7, 2025.
According to him, some countries have expressed interest in doing business in Ghana, largely credited to the sterling performance of the Ghana cedis on the global market against the dollar.
"Since His Excellency John Dramani Mahama assumed office, there have been significant improvements everywhere, both locally and internationally. There are a lot of countries that have returned to enter into an agreement with the government in relation to Ghana's development. One of the countries, surprisingly, is Ukraine. We are all aware that the Ukrainians are very strong in the production of grains, but due to the war, they are not able to plant as much as they would have. So some companies in Ukraine are trying to use our vegetation for the production of these essential grains.
At the Eighth Agrilevante Fair in Bari, Italy, which was held from the 7th of October through to the 11th of October, 2025, Ghana's Agric Minister, Eric Opoku struck the deal with the Italian government under the project "Strengthening Agri-Food Ecosystems in Ghana."
"This project, operating under the AID 013210, is a three-year initiative which begins from 2025 through to 2027, seeks to improve food security and strengthen resilience to climate change through investments and public-private partnerships between the Ghanaian and Italian agricultural institutions, both public and private."
Reacting to the €154m deal with the Italian government, Mr. Gunn said, "This package is to promote food security. About 10,000 hectares of land are going to be developed with key crops such as maize, tomatoes, rice, and soya. These are the most imported food crops; thus, engaging in his project will reduce the rate of importation of these essential food commodities. This is going to provide job opportunities for youth. There will also be educational infrastructure, which includes ICT centers in areas where this project is going to be executed."
He noted that an Italian organization, the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM), is going to collaborate with Ghana's Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to produce a soil testing and crop suitability chart to guide production and provide efficiency.
Source : Kobina Darlington/Peacefmonline.com