Ghana’s Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, has launched a $1 million revolving fund to support smallholder farmers in the country’s northern regions.
The initiative, announced at a ceremony in Accra, forms part of a broader effort to enhance food security and agricultural resilience in areas most vulnerable to climate and economic challenges.
Backed by a $20 million grant from the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme (GAFSP) and additional support from the African Development Bank (AfDB), the fund is being implemented in partnership with ARB Apex Bank.
It aims to provide affordable financing to actors along the agricultural value chain, particularly targeting women and youth.
According to the minister, the program is designed to build sustainable food systems and uplift rural livelihoods. It will cover 12 districts across six regions, offering climate-smart inputs for staple crops such as maize, rice, soybean, cowpea, and groundnuts.
Farmers will also benefit from mechanization services through handheld equipment, solar-powered irrigation kits to support vegetable production throughout the year, and the promotion of household poultry farming to improve nutritional diversity.
The revolving fund is expected to make capital more accessible at competitive rates, allowing farmers and agribusinesses to expand their operations, boost productivity, and build resilience to climate-related risks.
