The Deputy Minister of Finance, Mr Thomas Nyarko Ampem, has urged investors and development partners to channel long-term capital into Ghana’s rice sector to boost food security, reduce import dependence and accelerate agro-industrial growth.
He said government is repositioning agriculture, with particular focus on rice and other strategic value chains, as a key driver of economic transformation and industrialisation.
Mr Nyarko Ampem made the appeal at the 2026 West Africa Rice Investment Roundtable held in Accra on Tuesday, which brought together policymakers, investors, development finance institutions and regional bodies including ECOWAS.
Speaking on behalf of the Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, he said Ghana is actively strengthening its policy environment to attract sustained investment into agriculture and related industries.
“Ghana’s message to investors is straightforward: we are doing the policy work, we are strengthening the enabling environment, and we are creating the conditions for long-term capital to thrive,” he said.
He noted that despite the region’s vast agricultural potential, West Africa continues to spend between US$3 billion and US$4 billion annually importing rice—resources he described as a drain on foreign exchange that could be retained locally.
According to him, the challenge is not a lack of resources but insufficient transformational investment in irrigation, storage, logistics, milling and agro-processing systems needed to scale up production.
Mr Nyarko Ampem stressed that Ghana’s economic reset agenda prioritises food security, private sector-led growth and stronger agricultural value chains supported by improved macroeconomic stability.
He added that government is working to improve market systems, support price stability and create a predictable environment for agribusiness investment.
He called on stakeholders across West Africa to move beyond dialogue and focus on structuring bankable projects capable of attracting large-scale financing.
“West Africa does not need more declarations. We need pipelines of bankable projects that can crowd in long-term capital,” he said.
He expressed confidence that the roundtable would help unlock partnerships and investments needed to strengthen regional rice production and reduce dependence on imports.
