ELS: MBN360 BUSINESS
Ghana’s drive to expand commercial agriculture and increase local processing of cocoa and other raw materials has featured prominently in discussions between President John Dramani Mahama and the Managing Director of the International Finance Corporation, Makhtar Diop.
The meeting at the Presidency on Wednesday focused on scaling up investment in key agricultural sub-sectors, including cocoa, oil palm and poultry, while creating opportunities for value addition and job creation.
The discussions also covered government’s policy to process at least 50 percent of Ghana’s cocoa beans, agricultural produce and minerals locally, as part of efforts to retain more value within the domestic economy.
President Mahama and the IFC delegation further explored opportunities to expand Ghana’s transport network through roads, railways and aviation, as well as strengthen digital connectivity under the Big Push Infrastructure Development Programme.
Read also:
- Ghana records 53,415 teenage pregnancies in first seven months
- UDS make history as back-to-back African University Football Champions
- There’s Policy Confusion, Minority Demand Apology over Lack of Clear Educational Policy
- Deputy Health Minister Urges Nurses to Turn Research into Action
- Transparency International Ghana calls for stronger laws to regulate political and campaign financing
Challenges in the energy and education sectors also featured in the discussions.
President Mahama, accompanied by the Chief of Staff and the Ministers for Finance, Energy and Trade, highlighted improvements in key economic indicators, including declining inflation, reduced national indebtedness and restored investor confidence.
He also announced that Ghana has secured a 300-million-dollar World Bank financing package to support the permanent phasing out of the double-track system in Senior High Schools by the end of 2027.
The IFC Managing Director, Makhtar Diop, commended the government’s economic reform efforts and pledged the Corporation’s support for Ghana’s commercial agriculture sector and broader initiatives to build a resilient and sustainable economy.
