The Vice President of the Federation of Ghanaian Exporters (FAGE), Felix Kamassah, has called for increased investment and stronger policy support for Ghana’s agriculture sector to unlock its full potential.

According to him, agriculture remains a major area of opportunity, particularly for the youth but the sector requires long-term investment and deliberate policy interventions to achieve sustainable growth.

Speaking at the close of a three-day Ghana Horticulture Expo on September 5, 2026, Felix Kamassah said the event attracted more than 2,000 participants on its first day, bringing together farmers, producers, exporters, service providers, transporters and other stakeholders within the agricultural value chain.

He said the strong turnout demonstrated the growing interest in locally produced goods and showed that Ghanaians were increasingly prepared to patronise made-in-Ghana products.

Kamassah said the expo had also attracted participants from other African countries, including Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal, describing the development as a sign that the continent was ready to strengthen intra-African trade.

He expressed the hope that the event would grow over the next decade into a major agricultural trade platform comparable to Fruit Logistica in Germany.

“Everybody will have a share in the market. Every country will have a share. Because if you promote our own products, I think we'll rake in the foreign currency we always talk about,” he said.

He identified the youth as one of the major priorities of the expo, explaining that agriculture offers opportunities beyond traditional farming.

He noted that young people could participate in the sector through areas such as information technology, marketing, agronomy, catering and other support services.

He urged the youth not to rely solely on government employment but to explore opportunities within the agricultural value chain.

“The opportunity in the agriculture sector is very huge,” he said.

The FAGE Vice President identified inadequate long-term investment as one of the major challenges confronting agriculture.

He explained that agriculture requires patience and sustained financial support because farmers and agribusinesses cannot expect immediate returns on investment.

He therefore called on policymakers, financial institutions and other stakeholders to increase their support for the sector.

He specifically urged the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Ghana to recognise agriculture as a key economic sector requiring strategic investment.

He also called for stronger efforts to develop the agricultural sector in a manner similar to initiatives established to support Ghana's gold industry.

Meanwhile, President of FAGE, Davis Korboe, said agricultural transformation must go beyond policy discussions and translate into practical support for farmers and businesses.
He called on government to improve access to irrigation, land, skills and patient capital, particularly for young people seeking to enter the agriculture sector.

Korboe also stressed the need for greater value addition, saying Ghana must strengthen its capacity to produce, store, process, and market agricultural products if it is to achieve food resilience and compete effectively in export markets.

He urged government to create a policy environment that builds confidence, encourages innovation, and attracts investment into agriculture and agribusiness.

The President of EGS Ghana, Dr Florence Vanderpuye also highlighted the importance of promoting healthy and certified agricultural produce.

She explained that EGS Ghana operates a participatory guarantee system aimed at ensuring that farmers produce food according to certified Ghana Organic Standards.

According to her, the organisation works directly with farmers to promote healthy food production, with a particular focus on the Ghanaian market.

Dr Vanderpuye encouraged consumers to look beyond the appearance and size of agricultural produce and pay greater attention to who produced the food and how it was grown.

The owner of Fortune Coffee, Dr Fortune Agbeli, drew attention to the opportunities available in Ghana's coffee industry.

She explained that Ghana produces Robusta coffee, which has a higher caffeine content, while other varieties include Arabica and Liberica.

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Dr Agbeli said coffee production presented significant opportunities for young people, particularly because there was growing demand for coffee on the international market.

She noted that coffee is grown in several regions of Ghana, with much of the current production concentrated in the Volta Region.

However, she expressed concern that some Ghanaian coffee is taken to neighbouring Togo after harvest, partly because of limited demand and awareness of locally produced coffee in Ghana.

According to her, the neglect of the coffee value chain has prevented Ghana from fully benefiting from the crop's potential in international markets.

“There is a ready market, but we need a lot of people to start investing in coffee,” she said.

The Head of Product Strategy and Performance at Fidelity Bank, Francis Kwamena Akwafo, said the bank had partnered with FAGE for the past three years to organise the multi-expo.

He said Fidelity Bank had been providing financing and helping members of the exporter community gain access to markets.

According to him, the bank considers the export and broader agriculture sector to have significant potential and believes financial institutions have an important role to play in supporting its growth.

He said Fidelity Bank was particularly interested in supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), noting that discussions during the expo focused on how to scale up SMEs and unlock their potential for job creation.

He commended FAGE for bringing key stakeholders together to discuss challenges across the export value chain and how financial institutions could contribute to the sector's development.

“We hope for further collaboration and also growing the export sector as a whole,” he said.

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