The future of African food security must be grown in African soil - Veep Opoku-Agyemang

Vice President Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has called for significant investment across the rice value chain to accelerate agricultural transformation, enhance food security, and stimulate economic growth throughout West Africa.

Speaking on behalf of President John Dramani Mahama at the opening of the two-day West Africa Rice Investment Roundtable in Accra on June 2, 2026, the Vice President emphasized that the event goes beyond rice production and represents a broader agenda focused on economic transformation, regional integration, and Africa’s capacity to sustainably feed its growing population.

She noted that food security is closely linked to economic stability, social protection, national security, and resilience against global disruptions. According to her, recent challenges including climate shocks, export restrictions, trade barriers, and geopolitical tensions have exposed vulnerabilities within global food systems.

“Countries that rely heavily on food imports also import vulnerability,” she stated.

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang highlighted West Africa’s enormous agricultural potential, citing its fertile lands, abundant water resources, youthful population, entrepreneurial farmers, and expanding consumer markets. Despite these advantages, she observed that African countries continue to spend billions of dollars annually importing food, including rice, even as demand continues to rise.

She stressed that the region’s challenge is not simply increasing production but mobilizing the necessary capital to transform agriculture into a modern, commercially viable sector supported by efficient and integrated value chains.

According to the Vice President, rice should be treated as a strategic economic asset capable of driving industrialization, creating jobs, reducing import dependency, and strengthening economic resilience.

She pointed to Ghana’s Agriculture for Economic Transformation Agenda as a key component of the government’s economic recovery strategy, aimed at building integrated agricultural value chains that connect production, processing, logistics, exports, and agro-industrial development.

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang also noted that Ghana’s improving macroeconomic environment is helping to attract long-term investments needed to modernize the agricultural sector.

She called for transformational financing that supports irrigation, agro-processing, climate-smart agriculture, research, and other critical infrastructure needed to unlock the full potential of the rice industry.

“Put simply, this means financing agriculture as an industry,” she said.

The Vice President further urged stronger collaboration among governments, private sector players, development finance institutions, pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, commercial banks, and institutional investors to drive sustainable agricultural growth.

She emphasized the importance of climate-conscious investments, warning that climate change continues to threaten productivity and food systems across West Africa.

Describing agriculture as one of Africa’s greatest economic opportunities, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang encouraged regional leaders to pursue bold strategies that can transform food-deficit economies into thriving industrial and agricultural hubs.

She reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to improving infrastructure, strengthening policy coordination, deepening regional cooperation, and creating an enabling environment for investment across the rice value chain.

“The future of African food security must be grown in African soil, financed by beneficial partnerships, powered by African enterprise, and sustained through our collective commitment,” she concluded.

The West Africa Rice Investment Roundtable brings together policymakers, investors, agribusiness leaders, and development partners to explore opportunities for collaboration and investment aimed at enhancing rice production, food security, and economic development across the region.