The immediate past minister of food and agriculture of Ghana, and an agricultural economist, Dr. Owusu Akoto, has submitted that agriculture would lift Ghana out of poverty, and help in the development of other sectors. Akoto stated this while delivering a public lecture at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA). He averred that “I strongly believe agriculture will lift Ghana out of poverty and assure us, not only of food security, but also generate necessary resources for the development of the other sectors including industry, health, education and infrastructure in the medium to long term”.
Speaking on the prevailing economic challenges all over the world, Akoto said agriculture would drive a new order of solution, if the sector is transformed sustainably to feed and enrich its people. He stated further that he believes Africa had not done enough concerning food insecurity as over 200 million Africans continue to struggle to feed, adding that despite the challenges of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and its effects on climate change, political instability across the continent and economic instability, among others, agriculture still offers “immense and significant opportunities for transforming Africa’s economy” to become a provider of food to the rest of the world while insisting that agriculture is driver of economic development in most advanced countries, citing examples of Brazil, China, Malaysia and Thailand.
