Goosie Tanoh, the guy advising the president on this whole 24-Hour Economy thing, basically laid out a pretty ambitious plan for “Grow 24.” It’s supposed to be a game-changer for Ghana’s agriculture, which, let’s be real, could use a serious facelift.
He popped up on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on July 3rd (if you’re keeping track) and started talking about how Grow 24 is all about using fancy tech, climate-smart farming (whatever that exactly means, but hey, sounds cool), and just better infrastructure in general. The goal? Make farming non-stop and add more value to what’s grown so the money actually stays with the people doing the work.
Farmers right now? They’re basically fighting a losing battle not enough fertilizer, ancient equipment (if any), shoddy roads, and support that’s, well, not really there. Grow 24 is supposed to blow past all that.
Tanoh says they’ve actually talked to farmers and industry folks (good move, honestly) and everyone’s screaming for the basics: clear land ownership, water for dry season farming, internet that actually works, and roads that don’t eat your car. He’s convinced that fixing logistics alone would save tons of food from rotting and make it cheaper to get stuff to market, which would finally lure in private investors who usually sit on the sidelines.
So how’s it supposed to work? Well, it’s built on three main ideas: modernize how stuff is grown (hello, better yields), make sure the supply chain actually works (think trucks, storage, not just potholes), and train people so they’re not just winging it in the fields.
He’s blunt about it if Ghana wants to keep up with places like Vietnam or Thailand, folks have to step up their work ethic, and that means training and maybe a new attitude. No shortcuts.
He’s also pushing for tax breaks, real access to loans, skilled workers, and the sort of basic infrastructure that, honestly, should’ve been sorted out ages ago. He sums it up with the kind of wish list every farmer has: less tax, easier cash, good workers, water, power, land. Apparently, Grow 24 is bringing all that. We’ll see.
The Volta Lake corridor is a big deal in this plan Tanoh says there’s like 4 million hectares of arable land just sitting there, waiting for something to happen. The idea is to turn this whole area into a farming powerhouse, with big “anchor” farmers leading the way and bringing in smaller guys through co-ops. These anchors will basically act as hubs, offering equipment, advice, and the kind of tech small farmers can’t afford on their own.
And get this instead of everyone buying their own tractor (which, let’s face it, no one can afford), farmers can rent what they need from these service centers. The Ghana Infrastructure Fund and the Volta River Authority are supposed to handle the heavy lifting with land, irrigation, and energy.
The anchor farmers will also help smallholders get stuff on credit. Since small farmers grow 90% of Ghana’s food, ignoring them would be just plain dumb. With this setup, they get skills, cash, and a shot at scaling up.
But Tanoh’s clear Grow 24 isn’t just about growing more yams or whatever. It’s about transforming the whole economy, making jobs, boosting exports, and putting more money in people’s pockets. If they can line up the infrastructure, finance, and policies just right, Ghana’s agriculture might finally get the global spotlight it deserves.
Big talk, huh? Well, let’s see if they can actually pull it off.