Ato Forson touts commercial agriculture as key to tackling youth unemployment

Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson highlighted commercial agriculture as a crucial solution to tackle youth unemployment in Ghana. He emphasized that large-scale farming could generate significant job opportunities while reducing the country's dependence on imported food. Dr Forson explained that developing the sector and expanding domestic production of food commodities would create employment opportunities throughout the agricultural value chain and bolster the local economy.

During an interview with Citi FM, Dr Forson stated that government assessments had identified agriculture as a sector with the capacity to employ a large proportion of the country's population. He stressed the need for a shift from small-scale subsistence farming to commercial agriculture capable of supporting large-scale production.

The Finance Minister highlighted rice, poultry, palm oil, and sugar as commodities that Ghana currently imports, suggesting that expanding local production and processing could create considerable employment opportunities.

Beyond farming, Dr Forson pointed out that the benefits would extend to processing, storage, transportation, and other related activities, generating jobs at various stages of the supply chain. He used the proposed Pwalugu Dam project as an example, explaining that the project, which aims to provide irrigation for 25,000 hectares of farmland, would support the development of a large-scale vegetable production enclave focusing on tomatoes and onions.

This initiative would reduce Ghana's dependence on Burkina Faso for these commodities and generate 70 megawatts of electricity to support industrial activities in the area.

Dr Forson questioned why unemployment among young people remains a significant challenge when Ghana possesses vast arable land, water resources, and favorable climatic conditions for agricultural development. He firmly believed that investing in commercial farming and developing the agricultural value chain could provide a substantial source of employment, strengthen local industries, and diminish the country's reliance on imported food.