Agriculture Minister Bryan Acheampong has announced that government is constructing a 60,000-tonne grain silo to help stabilise food supplies and mitigate the impact of the ongoing drought crisis. Speaking in an interview, he stated that the new silo, which will cost nearly $70 million and is set to be completed within 12 months, will serve as a strategic reserve to support the country’s food systems during future climate challenges.
The Abetifi MP also highlighted several other measures being implemented by government to address the effects of the drought. Among these is the Ghana Agriculture and Agribusiness Platform, an initiative that aims to enrol farmers nationwide and communicate critical farming instructions directly to them through voice notes in their local languages.
The Minister underscored the importance of these new communication strategies, noting that previous advisories sent to farmers were often ignored or misunderstood due to language barriers. Mr Acheampong also pointed out the success of the government’s small earth dam projects under the “One District, One Dam” initiative, which helped mitigate the impact of last year’s drought.
He assured Ghanaians that government is committed to expanding irrigation infrastructure, developing more land, and integrating crop calendars with weather data to ensure that the farming season aligns with actual climatic conditions. The Minister concluded by noted that these efforts are part of the broader Food Systems Resilience Program funded by the World Bank, which aims to create a more sustainable agricultural sector in Ghana.
