Agriculture Minister Bryan Acheampong has announced the construction of Ghana’s first 60,000-tonne grain silo as part of the government’s efforts to stabilize food supplies amid an ongoing drought crisis.
Speaking on Thursday, the Minister revealed that the $70 million project is expected to be completed within 12 months.
“This will be the first of its kind in Ghana, and it is designed to hold up to 60,000 metric tonnes of grain.
We had zero before, and now we are setting up this strategic reserve to ensure food security,” Mr. Acheampong stated.
In addition to the silo, the Minister outlined several other initiatives aimed at mitigating the effects of the drought.
Among these is the Ghana Agriculture and Agribusiness Platform, which will enroll farmers across the country and provide them with critical farming instructions through voice notes in their local languages.
“We are setting up the Ghana Agriculture and Agribusiness Platform to send voice messages to farmers in languages they understand—whether it’s Dagbani, Twi, or any local dialect,” Mr. Acheampong explained.
He emphasized that this approach would help farmers better align their planting schedules with weather patterns, thus avoiding mistakes made in previous years.
Mr. Acheampong also highlighted the success of the government’s small earth dam projects under the “One District, One Dam” initiative, which helped mitigate the impact of last year’s drought.
“It would have been worse if those dams were not there,” he noted, adding that the measures taken last year resulted in a significant drop in maize prices.
The Minister assured Ghanaians that the government is committed to expanding irrigation infrastructure and integrating crop calendars with weather data to better prepare for future climatic challenges.
“By next year, even if a similar drought occurs, we will be better prepared,” he concluded.
