1. Brief description and objective of the German commitment
The agricultural sector generates 25% of the gross national product, creating jobs for more than 44% of Ghanaians. Small farms produce almost 80% of the total agricultural production. However, their quality and volume of production are often very low. As a result, the downstream agro-industry, despite its great potential, is not internationally very competitive.
2. Objectives and Approaches
The module objective is: "Quality production in the agricultural sector is improved." The multi-level and multi-actor approach at national, regional and local level and the intensive support of agro-associations and key actors along the value chains (WSK) should focus in the future much more on the private sector.
In priority regions, selected WSK such as pineapple, mango, citrus and chilli (Bono, Bono East, Central, Eastern and Volta Region) are promoted, which are of particular importance for commercialisation and export orientation. In the Upper West and parts of the North East and Savannah regions, support is given to value chains which, within the framework of EU co-financing, contribute to poverty reduction and supply to the local market, such as peanuts, cashew, mango, vegetables, rice, soya and sorghum.
The measures which are currently being implemented, in cooperation with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), are supporting farmers' associations, relevant agro interest groups and the private sector. The TC module cooperates closely with other projects of the German DC and other donor organisations in order to make optimum use of synergies with the Global Initiative "Green Innovation Centres" and the FC module "Outgrower and Value Chain Fund" and the PtB to promote quality production, as well as the Import Promotion Desk (IPD).
3. Indicators and State of implementation
MOAP contributes to promoting employment and increasing the income of the actors along the value chains, supporting women and young people in particular.
Since 2017, MOAP has trained over 30,000 value chain producers and processors in pineapple, mango, citrus fruit, cashew, peanut, vegetables (chilli), rice, soya and sorghum, including good agricultural practices, post-harvest techniques and food safety. More than 1,800 production units have been certified according to sustainability standards such as Bio, Fair-trade or GlobalG.A.P. The TZ module also advises more than 60 companies on optimizing their production facilities and on product design. The participation of Ghanaian exporters in important international trade fairs such as Anuga, BioFach, FruitLogistica in Germany and other EU countries is intensively supported. In total, over 683 new jobs were created in the supported companies and 166,752 additional working days were created for agricultural and seasonal workers (corresponding to 757 job equivalents). Women account for 59% of these jobs and 77% of new employees are under 35.
4 Perspectives and Challenges
In addition to the further development of the export market, greater attention should also be paid to the development of the local market, as a growing urban middle class is increasingly demanding quality products. Financial instruments are needed for all players along the value chains to make the necessary investments possible. In the future, MOAP should therefore increasingly cover innovative business opportunities, certifications and access to finance in the agricultural sector. Measures to adapt to climate change should continue to be promoted in any form.
With the new initiatives presented by the Ghanaian government since 2017, it is necessary to adapt the partner structure of MOAP. MoFA is in charge of the Planting for Food & Jobs (PFJ) and Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD) initiatives, which on the one hand focus on subsidising agricultural inputs and on self-sufficiency of the Ghanaian population with basic foodstuffs, but also promote non-traditional (export) products. The Ministry of Trade and Industries (MoTI) stands for a stronger focus of market orientation with its One-District-One-Factory (1D1F) initiative. Since MOAP is striving for an even stronger focus on the private sector, this is an important public actor. The Ministry of Local Government & Rural Development (MLGRD) stands for the comprehensive implementation of all these initiatives at district and regional level. A coordination of all these initiatives and an inter-ministerial approach of MLGRD, MoTI and MOFA with the private sector will significantly improve our impact on employment and income growth and ultimately the visibility of German DC in rural development.