Ghana secures €154m from Italy to boost agriculture, food security
Ghana has secured €154 million in funding from the Italian government to modernise the agricultural value chain and enhance national food security.
The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, signed the agreement on behalf of Ghana last Friday on the sidelines of the 8th Agrilevante Fair in Bari, Italy, while Italy’s Minister of Agriculture, Francesco Lollobrigida, signed for his country.
The Managing Director of BF International Best Fields Best Food Limited, Federico Vecchion, and Georges Mikhael of S.r.I. signed on behalf of the Italian private sector partners.
The funding forms part of a new three-year project dubbed ‘Strengthening Agri-Food Ecosystems in Ghana’, which begins next week and runs until 2027.
The initiative aims to promote public-private partnerships between Ghanaian and Italian agricultural institutions to improve productivity, food security, and resilience to climate change.
Mr Opoku said the project would develop 10,000 hectares of land into a model farm dedicated to producing maize, rice, tomatoes, and soya under full-year irrigation.
“The farm will operate under all-year irrigation to ensure continuous production, with all produce targeted at supplying the domestic market,” he stated.
Under the arrangement, Italy’s International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM) will collaborate with Ghana’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to develop soil testing and crop suitability charts to enhance productivity.
CIHEAM will also partner with the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) at the University of Ghana to establish a national seed bank.
Direct beneficiaries will include workers and staff of the model farm, soil scientists, seed bank agents, farmer groups, Ministry of Food and Agriculture officials, and young agripreneurs.
Indirect beneficiaries are estimated at 23,000 residents of the Aveyime-Battor area and the wider Volta Region, home to over 1.6 million people.
Mr Opoku’s participation in the Agrilevante Fair, held from 7 to 11 October 2025, forms part of Ghana’s broader partnership with the Italian private sector to transform its agri-food system into a more productive, inclusive, and sustainable sector.
Beyond farming, the initiative will also finance social infrastructure projects, including schools, toilets, community centres, and ICT hubs in beneficiary communities.
“The overarching goal is to improve food security and build climate-resilient food systems aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” Mr Opoku said.
Background
The Strengthening Agri-Food Ecosystems in Ghana initiative focuses on developing sustainable agricultural value chains, building rural infrastructure, and enhancing the institutional capacity of local communities.
It is expected to deliver 10,000 hectares of irrigated farmland, promote sustainable land management, and improve the livelihoods of farming communities through targeted investments and inclusive partnerships.
