The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, has announced that Ghana has enough grain stocks to settle its outstanding obligation to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

He said President John Dramani Mahama has directed the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) to release 50,000 bags of grains to repay the outstanding obligation.

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Speaking at the NAFCO’s Annual General Meeting in Accra on Thursday, September 24, 2026, he said the debt is linked to a 2018 grain borrowing arrangement that was used to support the School Feeding Programme.

He also revealed that NAFCO currently has about 20,433 metric tonnes of grains in storage, making it possible for Ghana to meet the obligation without affecting the country’s food supply.

“We have been able to procure more than enough to pay back what we borrowed,” he said.

The Minister said the development was a sign of increased food production in the country, particularly under the government’s Feed Ghana Programme.

He disclosed that Ghana produced about 4.6 million tonnes of maize in 2025, against an estimated national demand of 3.6 million tonnes.

However, this resulted in a potential surplus of about one million tonnes of maize, strengthening the country’s ability to build food stocks and meet its domestic needs.

Opoku said the increase in production was important to Ghana’s food security as the government works to reduce dependence on food imports and ensure that farmers have a ready market for their produce.

He said the availability of sufficient grain stocks had also placed the country in a position to meet its regional obligation to ECOWAS while maintaining adequate supplies for domestic programmes.

ANAS/EB

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