The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG), with support from the Star Ghana Foundation, has held a one-day capacity-building programme in the Nanumba North Municipality aimed at improving budget accountability, safeguarding practices and inclusive participation in agricultural decision-making.
The training, organised for members of the Multi-Stakeholder Platform (MSP), forms part of PFAG’s ongoing initiative titled “Strengthening Farmers’ Voices to Promote Accountability and Inclusive Decision-Making in Ghana.” The project seeks to empower farmers and key stakeholders to actively engage local authorities on the allocation and management of public resources in agriculture.
Participants included representatives from the Nanumba North Municipal Assembly, PFAG district executives, civil society organisations, traditional authorities, agricultural processors and aggregators, as well as youth and women’s groups and officials from the Municipal Directorate of Agriculture.
The MSP serves as a collaborative platform that brings together duty bearers and rights holders to address challenges confronting smallholder farmers while promoting transparency, accountability and inclusive governance at the local level.
Facilitating a session on safeguarding and inclusive participation, PFAG Project Officer Dr Roger Akanbisik highlighted the need to create safe and respectful environments in development interventions.
He explained that safeguarding involves protecting children, vulnerable adults and community members from abuse, exploitation and discrimination, stressing the importance of timely, confidential and respectful handling of reported cases.
Dr Akanbisik urged participants to integrate safeguarding principles into all project activities to build trust and ensure equitable benefits for all stakeholders.
Presenting findings on agricultural budget allocation, PFAG Programmes Officer Dr Benjamin Sarfo revealed significant funding gaps in the sector within the municipality.
He noted that although agriculture employs about 79.4 per cent of the local workforce, it receives only 1.17 per cent of the municipal budget.
According to him, a large portion of agricultural funding—about 81.6 per cent—is spent on salaries, leaving just 18.4 per cent for operational activities and development programmes.
Dr Sarfo further disclosed that critical areas such as irrigation systems, tractor services, post-harvest storage facilities, seed multiplication, support for farmer-based organisations, youth agribusiness initiatives and women-focused agricultural programmes do not receive dedicated budgetary allocations.
He urged members of the platform to use the data as evidence-based advocacy tools to push for increased investment and more responsive budgeting for smallholder farmers.
He also encouraged stakeholders to craft advocacy messages that are factual, solution-oriented, respectful and concise when engaging policymakers.
The PFAG Focal Person for Nanumba North Municipality, Mr Alhassan Amin, described the training as insightful, noting that it had deepened his understanding of the municipal budget structure and the challenges affecting agricultural financing.
Similarly, the Municipal Director of Agriculture and Co-convenor of the MSP, Mr Hamza Mohammed, said the training would enhance advocacy efforts aimed at increasing investment in the agricultural sector and encouraged PFAG to sustain such stakeholder engagements.
The programme is expected to strengthen collaboration among stakeholders and improve accountability in agricultural governance within the Nanumba North Municipality.
