BY Grace Zigah
Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has called for urgent and coordinated investment in agriculture, particularly rice production, as West African countries grapple with rising food prices, inflationary pressures and growing concerns over food security.
According to the Vice President, the region can no longer afford to remain heavily dependent on food imports in the face of global economic uncertainties, supply chain disruptions and exchange rate volatility that continue to push up the cost of food for millions of people.
She made the call while addressing participants at the West Africa Rice Investment Roundtable, held under the theme, “Mobilising Transformational Capital to Support West Africa’s Rice Agenda.”
The high-level forum brought together policymakers, private investors, development finance institutions, agricultural experts and industry players to discuss strategies for attracting investment into the rice sector and accelerating agricultural transformation across the region.
Addressing the gathering, Professor Opoku-Agyemang noted that many West African economies, including Ghana, continue to experience imported inflation, supply chain disruptions and currency fluctuations that significantly affect food prices and the cost of living.
She explained that the region’s heavy reliance on imported food products has exposed countries to external economic shocks, making it increasingly important to strengthen local agricultural production and build resilient food systems capable of withstanding future crises.
“Ghana has experienced imported inflation, supply chain challenges and exchange rate volatilities which affect food prices. Within these challenges, we have to build resilient food systems, industrialise agriculture and strengthen regional trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA),” the Vice President stated.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang stressed that achieving food security in West Africa requires more than increasing agricultural output.
She argued that countries must also invest in value addition, agro-processing, storage infrastructure, irrigation systems and modern farming technologies to create sustainable agricultural value chains.
According to her, expanding local rice production presents a major opportunity to reduce food import bills, create jobs, improve rural livelihoods and strengthen economic resilience across the sub-region.
Rice remains one of the most consumed staple foods in West Africa, yet the region continues to spend billions of dollars annually importing rice to meet domestic demand.
Agricultural experts have long argued that increased investment in local rice production could significantly reduce dependence on imports while boosting incomes for farmers and agribusinesses.
The Vice President therefore called on governments, development partners, financial institutions and private investors to mobilise transformational capital to support the growth of the rice industry and unlock the enormous agricultural potential of the region.
She emphasized that sustained investment in agriculture is essential not only for food security but also for economic growth, poverty reduction and employment creation, particularly among the youth.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang further highlighted the role of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in promoting regional agricultural trade and strengthening food systems.
She noted that enhanced intra-African trade could help West African countries leverage comparative advantages, improve market access for farmers and reduce dependence on food imports from outside the continent.
The Vice President’s remarks come at a time when governments across Africa are increasingly focusing on food self-sufficiency following recent global crises that exposed vulnerabilities within international food supply chains.
The COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical tensions, climate-related disruptions and fluctuations in global commodity prices have all contributed to rising food costs and renewed concerns about food security across developing economies.
