2017 Agriculture Policy Research Summit
Remarks by USAID/Ghana Acting Mission Director, Steven E. Hendrix
Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel, Accra
Tuesday, August 15, 2017, 09:15 am
Mr. William Quaittoo, Deputy Minister for Tree Crops;
Dr. Sagre Bambangi , Deputy Minister for Annual Crops;
Development partners
Members of the Press;
Ladies and Gentlemen, friends all:
Good morning.
I am delighted to join you on behalf of the United States Agency for International Development or “USAID” to discuss how we can strengthen evidence-based policymaking to improve the productivity of Ghana’s agriculture sector.
By way of background, at USAID we partner to end extreme poverty and enable resilient, democratic societies to realize their potential. In Ghana, we work in health and education, governance, as well as economic growth.
In health we work to prevent malaria and mitigate the spread of HIV among at-risk populations. We aim to improve maternal and child care, and increase access to family planning. And our programs improve the nutritional status of women and young children in rural communities.
In education, we are determined to increase access to basic education where only two percent of children in primary grade 2 can read at an appropriate level. We are training over thirty thousand school teachers to enhance reading achievement in the early grades. In partnership with UNICEF we are working to improve education for children with disabilities.
In governance, we are strengthening government institutions to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections. Our anti-corruption efforts are helping to increase government accountability and transparency. In partnership with the German and Canadian government, we are mobilizing local resources to improve public services.
In the area of economic growth, we are working to extend electricity access to more people and businesses across the country. To promote trade, we are improving food safety systems and training farmers to comply with international standards. In northern, Ghana our programs aim to boost the productivity of agricultural value chains.
We believe agriculture is the key to poverty reduction and a major driver of broad-based economic growth.
Improving data collection systems to craft effective policies will bring us one step closer to this goal. So will creating an enabling environment where the public and private sectors can directly engage in the agricultural policy process.
I want to take a moment to acknowledge our partners, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and Feed the Future’s Agriculture Policy Support Project. Together we are working to transform Ghana’s agriculture sector to attract private sector investment, boost the incomes of smallholder farmers, and promote economic opportunity. Thank you for your partnership and robust commitment to fostering broad-based economic growth.
At the Ghana Economic Forum last week, the Senior Minister stated that he is working to build Ghana’s economy and manage the country’s resources.
He plans to restructure Ghana’s economy by 1) promoting macroeconomic stability; 2) building Ghana’s infrastructure in the oil, power and gas sectors with a particular focus on renewable energy; 3) unlock Ghana’s industrial potential; and 4) boost agricultural productivity and food security.
In June, at the G-20 Africa Partnership Summit in Berlin, President Akufo-Addo emphasized that Ghana can realize its full potential by doing two important things. The first involves moving Ghana beyond dependency and aid. The second component includes creating an enabling environment to encourage private sector investment.
Specifically the President said “when the private sector flourishes and when our enterprises become competitive, not just on the continent but also in the global market place, then can we create the thousands and thousands of jobs our masses of unemployed youth crave.”
Much like the President, I believe Ghana has tremendous potential. This choice is ultimately up to the government and the people of Ghana. Ghana can be the breadbasket of West Africa. However there remains a big gap between agricultural research and policy making.
Through the U.S. government’s global hunger and food security initiative, Feed the Future, we are working with the Government of Ghana to address this challenge by making data more relevant and useful for national development.
USAID supports the Ministry of Food and Agriculture with research and policy analysis, and builds the capacity of public and private organizations to closely monitor and evaluate agriculture programs.
Where policymaking is concerned, we believe research is a critical component to creating the most effective policies. It is important that we build strong relationships with research institutions so that data can be fully utilized for Ghana’s agricultural growth. I cannot emphasize the importance of this enough.
This summit is an excellent platform for strengthening collaborative efforts with Ghana’s research institutions.
Today’s event will showcase Ghanaian researchers presenting on Ghanaian topics to inform Ghanaian policies. This is exactly what we hope to achieve in the countries where we work.
USAID is extremely proud to support these efforts and it is my hope that today’s Summit will contribute towards Ghana’s agriculture policy development.
I am confident that our discussions here today will inform the decision making of Ghanaian policymakers on what works best for future interventions.
Please be assured that USAID stands with the Ghana Government in pursuing evidence-based policies which can lead the transformation of Ghana’s agriculture and food security. Thank you.
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