The overall National Best Farmer for the year 2025 has been awarded to an 82-year-old farmer, Opanyin Abraham Kwaku Adusei, from the Eastern Region.
Madam Grace Owusuaah on the other hand, won the National Best Female Farmer 2025, and they were both presented with cash prizes for their outstanding contributions to Ghana’s agricultural sector.
48-year-old Osman Kadiri was also named the first runner-up, while 63-year-old Charles Gyato from the Oti Region took the second runner-up position.
President John Dramani Mahama presented the awards to the winners at the 41st National Farmers Day Awards Ceremony held in Ho, the Volta Regional capital.
Delivering his speech, the president said the perception that agriculture is only for “village folks” is outdated and limiting.
He noted that many professionals, teachers, civil servants, and private sector workers, can successfully combine their regular jobs with farming.
“Agriculture isn’t only for the village folks,” he said. “You can work and still be a farmer. Teachers and civil servants can go to work and have farms, and the money from the farm can supplement their incomes.”
The President also said high-interest loans remain one of the biggest obstacles facing farmers, many of whom end up “working for the banks instead of working for themselves.”
According to him, farmers who borrow at prohibitive rates often lose most of their profits to loan repayments, undermining their ability to expand, invest in modern tools, or ensure stable income for their families.
“We must provide credit at single-digit rates so our farmers can grow to feed Ghana,” he stressed.
“Farmers should not be taking loans only to end up using all their profits to repay the banks.”
President Mahama said the Volta Region has been a major beneficiary of the initiative, which seeks to rapidly expand Ghana’s road network and boost economic activity across all regions.
“A good percentage of the roads awarded under the Big Push are from the Volta Region,” the President said, emphasising that the allocation is part of a deliberate effort to close infrastructure gaps and support communities that have long faced challenges with transportation.
Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyeman has revealed that the government will soon engage five thousand (5,000) graduates in agriculture and veterinary science to support farmers nationwide.
The initiative is aimed at closing the gap between research findings and practical application in the agricultural sector.
She made this known at the 2025 Asogli Yam Festival held in the Volta Region on October 4, 2025.
The annual festival, also called Asogli Te Za, began on July 14 and concluded on October 5, under the theme “Together in Honesty and Purpose, We Build a Just, Peaceful and Prosperous Nation.”
The celebration highlighted the importance of Unity, transparency and national growth.
It featured lively cultural performances, drumming and traditional dances.
It sought to foster peace and togetherness, preserve cultural values, and boost tourism and local business growth in the Volta Region.
It brought Asogli people together to honour the yam harvest and highlight their enduring culture.
A colourful durbar took place on October 4, to climax the entire festival.
“Indeed, the Volta Region is showing her potential to be our agricultural backbone under the Feed Ghana Programme. With an irrigation system that is underutilized and ready to be rehabilitated, the region is ideally placed to scale up crop production, especially rice and yam”.
The Agbogbomefia of the Asogli state, Togbe afede XIV urged leaders including chiefs and politicians to show commitment to the development of the country. He says corruption is a bane of the country’s underdevelopment and wants people to embrace honesty for a United Ghana.
Meanwhile, in July this year, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Honourable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, and the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco, Her Excellency Imane Ouaadil, on July 28, handed over two thousand (2,000) tons of fertilizer, equivalent to 40,000 bags of fertilizer, to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
According to the Foreign Ministry, the fertilizer was donated to the West African country by the Kingdom of Morocco during the official visit of Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa to Morocco last month as part of the two countries’ commitment to sustainable agriculture to enhance food security.
Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, John Setor Dumelo, received the donated fertilizers on behalf of the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku. He expressed gratitude to the Morrocan government for the donation. He assured that farmers will receive the fertilizers to aid crop production.
“Yesterday, 40,000 bags of fertilizer was donated to Ghana by the Kingdom of Morocco through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On behalf of my boss Hon Eric Opoku, I want to say a big thank you to Hon Ablakwa and Her Excellency Ouaadil for this kind gesture. We at the Ministry of Agriculture will ensure the fertilizers get straight to the deserving farmers as soon as possible,” he wrote in a post on the X platform on July 29.
Stakeholders in the agricultural sector have bemoaned the absence of a single chemical fertiliser plant in the country. The Institute for Fiscal Studies noted that the absence of such a plant is having an adverse impact on crop production and the contribution of the agricultural sector to the country’s economy i.e. the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The sector’s contribution to the country’s GDP declined from 26.9% in 2010 to 22.7% in 2023.
In March this year, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Dr. Said Boakye said, “We need to establish several fertiliser manufacturing plants to ensure that adequate and affordable fertiliser is available to farmers, which will help boost agricultural productivity.”
“The sad reality is that Ghana lacks a single chemical fertiliser plant. In our rice studies, we have been comparing with Vietnam, where they have more than 7,000 plants. Vietnam’s success in achieving high agricultural productivity is largely due to fertilisers being readily available to farmers at no cost, along with incentivized prices,” he added.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies has entreated the government to allocate significant funding to establish a fertiliser manufacturing plant.
Ghana’s engagement with Morocco
Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who also doubles as the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, was in the Kingdom of Morocco from 5th to 6th June for a visit aimed at strengthening the longstanding bilateral relations between Ghana and Morocco and identifying new opportunities for economic cooperation and strategic partnerships.
During the visit, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Ghana and Morocco signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on political consultations during the Ministerial Session with Moroccan Minister H.E. Mr. Nasser Bourita, which is expected to facilitate regular diplomatic dialogue and promote mutual understanding on regional and international issues.
Another outcome of the visit was the commitment to the signing of a bilateral visa waiver agreement for holders of ordinary passports to facilitate trade and tourism and deepen people-to-people engagements between both countries. Pending the finalisation of the agreement, the immediate implementation of an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) in favour of Ghanaian travellers to Morocco was announced.
The Ghanaian minister also paid courtesy calls on the Minister for Industry and Trade, H.E. Mr. Ryad Mezzour; Minister for Transport and Logistics, H.E. Mr. Abdessamad Kayouh; Director-General of the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation, Amb. Mohamed Methqal; as well as the Vice-President of the General Confederation of Moroccan Entreprises (CGEM), Mr. Mehdi Tazi.
The discussions with the Moroccan Government officials focused on enhancing cooperation in key sectors such as maritime and air transport, trade and investment, and human resource development, among others. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to promoting stronger institutional collaboration and private sector engagement.
Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa also had fruitful discussions with the Ghanaian community in Morocco and briefed them about developments back home.
Following the minister’s meeting, the Foreign Affairs Ministry announced Ghanaian citizens who wish to visit Morocco will not need traditional visas to do so.
He revealed that a streamlined online travel authorisation has replaced the previous application process for Ghanaian citizens.
According to him, the latest move will grant the application within 24 hours without the need to visit the Moroccan embassy.
“With immediate effect, Ghanaians will no longer require traditional visas to travel to Morocco. An online authorization which will be granted within 24-hours without embassy appointments is all that’s needed,” he wrote.
The visa waiver to Morocco is expected to increase tourism, improve trade, and strengthen the relationship between Morocco and Ghana.
“With existing direct flights which would be increased following this new agreement, we expect this bilateral visa waiver policy to greatly facilitate trade, tourism and deepen people to people engagements between both countries,” he added.
The Moroccan government is also investing in the education of Ghanaians. In March this year, the government of Morocco announced an increase in scholarships for Ghanaian students, raising the number from 90 to 180 starting this year.
This development follows high-level discussions between Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, and the Moroccan Ambassador to Ghana, Her Excellency Imane Ouaadil.
During their engagement, Ambassador Ouaadil reassured that Ghanaians and other Africans residing in Morocco remain safe, dispelling social media claims that 700 Africans were being massacred.
She clarified that the circulated footage was from a border incident on June 24, 2022, which resulted in the deaths of 23 individuals. The incident was investigated by Moroccan and Spanish authorities, with no Ghanaian casualties recorded.
Beyond education, Morocco and Ghana have agreed to establish a visa waiver for all categories of travelers between the two nations. The agreement is expected to be presented to both parliaments for ratification soon.
“We have both additionally pledged to deepen collaboration in Agribusiness, Tourism, and Security,” Ablakwa stated.
