President John Dramani Mahama has unveiled plans for the rollout of 11 Farmer Service Centres as part of a broader initiative to modernize Ghana’s agricultural sector and enhance support for smallholder farmers. The move forms a key component of Mahama’s industrial policy agenda aimed at strengthening agribusiness and accelerating a proposed 24-hour economy.

Announced during the National Agribusiness Dialogue held in Accra on Monday, Mahama said the Ministry of Finance has approved funding for the initial phase under the government’s “Big Push” public investment program. The long-term goal, he noted, is to establish 50 centres nationwide.

“These facilities will be strategically located in key farming zones and will provide mechanisation services such as plowing and harvesting,” Mahama said. “What farmers need is not ownership of tractors or combine harvesters, but reliable access to those services when they need them.”

Rather than distributing equipment to individuals, the centres will serve as centralized hubs housing machinery—including tractors and harvesters—that can be dispatched on demand. Farmers will register with the centres and request services during the farming season, reducing the financial burden of equipment ownership and maintenance.

Technically equipped agencies will be contracted to manage the centres, ensuring functionality, maintenance, and service delivery.

Local Procurement Push

In tandem with the mechanisation initiative, Mahama also reiterated his administration’s commitment to promoting domestic production. He said the government would prioritize Made-in-Ghana goods—particularly agro-processed products—in state procurement programs.

“The 24-hour economy secretariat is compiling a comprehensive list of locally manufactured goods,” Mahama said. “As the largest consumer in the economy, the government will use its purchasing power to support Ghanaian producers.”

The president’s announcements align with a broader industrial policy platform emphasizing inclusive growth, sustainable agriculture, and job creation through targeted infrastructure and policy reform. The initiative marks a renewed effort to leverage public investment in modernising agriculture—a sector that employs over 30% of Ghana’s workforce but remains constrained by low mechanisation rates and limited access to capital.