PHOTO: Ghana Breaks Ground on First Farmer Services Centre in Afram Plains, Signalling Shift in Agricultural Policy

TAKORATWENE, AFRAM PLAINS — President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday broke ground on Ghana’s first Farmer Services Centre in Takoratwene, launching what the government describes as a cornerstone of its effort to modernise the country’s agricultural sector and move smallholder farmers away from subsistence farming.

The centre, sited in the Afram Plains — a region the government has identified as a key agricultural growth corridor — is designed to operate as a one-stop hub offering farmers access to mechanised equipment, farm inputs, soil testing, storage facilities, extension training, and direct market linkages. Officials say the facility addresses long-running structural weaknesses that have kept Ghana’s farming sector from reaching its productive potential.

“This is how we transform agriculture — through practical, targeted investments,” President Mahama said at the groundbreaking ceremony.

The initiative is part of a broader national rollout, with government planning to establish 50 such centres across the country. Eleven are expected to begin construction this year.

Speaking at the event, Mahama framed the project as a deliberate policy shift, arguing that agriculture — which underpins the livelihoods of millions of Ghanaians — has long been held back by limited mechanisation, poor storage infrastructure, weak extension services, and fragmented market access. The new centres, he said, are intended to tackle all four at once.

The government is partnering with B5 Plus Group Limited on the project, with Mahama citing public-private collaboration as essential to the programme’s scale and sustainability. Beyond infrastructure, he said the broader agricultural agenda includes expanded irrigation, rural road development, climate-resilient farming practices, and value addition to boost farmer incomes.

Mahama also used the occasion to address input costs and pricing, assuring farmers that policies are in place to ease the financial burden of farming and guarantee fair prices for their produce.

Officials say the Afram Plains was selected for the first centre due to its substantial arable land and untapped potential for both crop and livestock production. The government hopes the facility will curb post-harvest losses, attract youth into commercial farming, and generate employment in the surrounding communities.