The government has rolled out the Feed Ghana initiative with 500 acres of maize in Afram Plains and Yendi, aiming to expand to 2,000 acres by 2026. The programme targets youth employment and food security.
The government has officially launched the Feed Ghana initiative with an initial cultivation of 500 acres of maize, aiming to expand the project to 2,000 acres by September 2026. The effort, announced at a government accountability briefing, is part of a broader strategy to promote youth employment through large-scale agriculture while boosting Ghana’s food supply systems.
The Minister of Youth Development and Empowerment, Mr. George Opare Addo, described Feed Ghana as a targeted job creation initiative designed to engage young people in mechanised, commercial farming. Speaking at the “Accountability Series” press briefing in Accra on August 4, 2025, he highlighted the project’s dual focus on employment and food systems resilience.
“We have launched Feed Ghana with 500 acres of maize this year and aim to increase this to 2,000 acres by September 2026,” he noted.
The pilot phase is being rolled out in Afram Plains and Yendi, where young beneficiaries have already started farming. The maize produced will support national food supply systems, including the School Feeding Programme and other state initiatives.
The programme is jointly implemented by the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, forming part of the government’s youth empowerment strategy in the agribusiness sector.
Participants are receiving technical training, farming inputs, mechanised services, and access to credit facilities — all aimed at de-risking youth participation in agriculture. According to Mr. Opare Addo, Feed Ghana follows an integrated value chain model from “seed to market.”
“This is not just farming. It’s a full agribusiness model where young people are trained, equipped, and given production and sales targets,” he explained.
Feed Ghana complements broader policies like the Planting for Food and Jobs Phase II, which focuses on aggregation, storage, processing, and structured markets. In the coming months, the initiative will expand to include rice, soya, and vegetables across six more regions.
The long-term goal is to make agriculture a viable, profitable, and attractive career path for Ghana’s youth while contributing to food security.
“We are taking agriculture to the young people not just as a last resort, but as a business — a business that feeds Ghana and builds futures,” Mr. Opare Addo affirmed.
