Agri-Impact CEO Warns: Agriculture Budget Too Small to Drive Ghana’s Economic Transformation

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Agri-Impact Group, Daniel Acquaye, has criticized the government’s allocation to the agriculture sector in the 2025 budget, describing it as inadequate to drive the country’s economic transformation.

Speaking at the PwC post-budget digest in Accra, Mr. Acquaye said only GH¢1.5 billion (about $100 million), representing 0.54 percent of the GH¢279 billion national budget, was set aside for agriculture. He stressed that this amount was insufficient, noting that achieving rice self-sufficiency alone would require over $100 million—equivalent to the entire agricultural allocation.

He warned that the underfunding contradicted government’s stated objective of making agriculture the backbone of economic growth.

Mr. Acquaye urged government to establish an Agriculture Fund, similar to the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), to guarantee sustainable financing for the sector. According to him, while education produces skilled labour, there is little investment in industries such as agriculture that can employ those graduates. Proper funding, he argued, would tackle youth unemployment, boost food security, and stimulate rural economies.

“A billion dollars from agriculture creates more jobs and opportunities than the same amount from oil or mining,” Mr. Acquaye emphasized.

The call aligns with the Malabo Declaration under the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP), where African Union members—including Ghana—committed to allocating at least 10 percent of national budgets to agriculture and achieving six percent annual growth in the sector.

Meanwhile, PwC Ghana’s Senior Country Partner, Vish Ashiagbor, noted that although the agriculture allocation looked small, complementary projects such as the GH¢10 billion “Big Push” for infrastructure and planned agri-zones could indirectly support the sector. He described the 2025 budget as a “good start,” but cautioned that effective implementation would be key to realizing its intentions.

On the increase in the Growth and Sustainability Levy to three percent, Mr. Ashiagbor expressed concern that sudden tax hikes could destabilize mining companies’ long-term planning, though he acknowledged government’s pressing need to raise revenue in a tight fiscal space.

Both speakers agreed that while the budget signaled intent, a stronger focus on execution and sustainable sector-specific funding was crucial to unlocking agriculture’s full potential in Ghana’s economy.