Prof. Oquaye: “Ghana will continue to apply for IMF assistance until we prioritize agriculture.”

He says that the country may become self-sufficient and independent if massive industries were to arise from investments in this field.

We are at the IMF for the seventeenth time today, and unless we manage the resources wisely—the natural produce of the soil that God has given us—we will keep visiting the IMF, according to Prof. Oquaye.

He says these things at the University of Ghana (UG) in Accra during the 2023 Akufo Hall National Best Farmers’ Lecture.

“Resilience, Technology, and Humanism: The Past, Present, and Future of the Ghanaian Farmer” is the main subject of the presentation.
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The purpose of the lecture is to make agriculture attractive to the youth of the country to transform their lives.

Prof Oquaye points out that countries like India saw the benefits of agriculture and took advantage of it, enabling them to produce enough food to feed their citizens and other nationals.

He notes that India is not concerned about the war in Russia and Ukraine because it does not depend on the two countries for food.

Ghana, however, is seriously affected by the war due to its reliance on the two countries for food despite the vast arable lands it possesses, Prof Oquaye mentions.

He calls on the government to pay critical attention to the efforts of the University of Ghana through Akuafo Hall in fostering the interest of the youth in agriculture and to build on that momentum.

“If our farmers can sustain us so that we can have food in abundance and not import over-stored food, then Ghana will not catch cold when Russia and Ukraine sneeze,” he emphasizes.

Prof Kwaku Oppong Asante, Akuafo Hall Master, states that the Hall is ready to host a Farmers’ Center of Excellence to spearhead the monitoring of students who would show interest in making farming a business.

He also mentions that the Hall would provide an office on campus to the National Best Farmer and take charge of organizing a farmer’s symposium to be held annually, all in an effort to make farming attractive to the youth.
The talk aims to change the lives of the
nation’s youth by making agriculture appealing to them.

Prof. Oquaye notes that nations like India recognized the advantages of agriculture and seized the chance to do so, allowing them to produce enough food to feed their own people as well as those of other nations.

He points out that since India does not rely on Russia or Ukraine for its food, it is unconcerned about the conflict in those two nations.

Prof. Oquaye notes that despite Ghana’s large amount of fertile land, the country is heavily dependent on the two nations for food, which means that Ghana is severely impacted by the conflict.

He urges the government to closely monitor the University of Ghana’s initiatives through Akuafo Hall