The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) has launched the Ghana Agricultural Fund for Education and Transformation (GAFET). This national endowment aims to secure GHS 100 million by December 2028 to provide sustainable financing for agricultural education. The fund seeks to develop the human capital necessary to transform Ghana's agricultural sector.
GAFET addresses a significant imbalance in Ghana's economy. Agriculture contributes over 20% to the economy, but only about 2% of tertiary students enroll in agricultural programs. Agricultural education institutions face an estimated annual funding gap of GHS 12 million. The fund will pool contributions into a professionally managed endowment, preserving and investing the capital. Annual returns will then finance approved priorities across the agricultural education system.
This initiative is crucial for Ghana's economic future, as agriculture remains a cornerstone of the nation's GDP and employment. The government's focus on strengthening agricultural education aligns with broader efforts to modernize the sector and reduce reliance on food imports. Improving skills and technology in agriculture can boost productivity and create new opportunities for young people. This move reflects a growing recognition that human capital development is key to sustained economic growth, especially in critical sectors like agriculture.
Steven Nhyira Odarteifio, Lead Coordinator of GAFET, emphasized the importance of investing in people. He stated, “If Ghana wants to transform agriculture, it must invest in the people who will transform agriculture.” Mr. Odarteifio added that GAFET will focus on closing the gap between classroom learning and the practical demands of modern agriculture. This includes supporting laboratories, demonstration farms, mechanization, digital agriculture, research, innovation, agribusiness incubation, and faculty development.
The fund's objective is to ensure graduates leave agricultural institutions with the technical and entrepreneurial capabilities required for a modern, technology-driven agricultural economy. GAFET has already mobilized GHS 3.5 million in founding capital. It aims to grow the fund to GHS 10 million by December 2026 and GHS 100 million by December 2028. The fund is expected to transition to a full endowment structure in the fourth quarter of 2026, with a governing board, fund administrator, fund manager, and custodian bank.
GAFET will initially support 21 agricultural education institutions. These include five standalone agricultural colleges and 16 universities and technical universities. Returns from the endowment will support practical training, mechanization, research and innovation, digital agriculture, agribusiness incubation, faculty development, and scholarships. The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Honourable Eric Opoku, described GAFET as a human-capital pillar of the government's flagship Feed Ghana programme. He urged commercial banks, pension funds, insurance companies, agribusinesses, development partners, philanthropic foundations, and alumni associations to support the fund.
Five Ghanaian-led agribusinesses—AgriSolve, GrowForMe, New Age Agric Solutions, Tradeline Consult, and Farmerline—have joined GAFET as founding partners. These partners highlighted the need to attract more young people into agriculture and equip them with practical skills and technology. Farmerline pledged to contribute capital and access to its technology platform. GrowForMe committed to opening its crowdfunding platform to support the fund’s growth. This broad participation underscores the national importance of the initiative and its potential to foster a more robust agricultural ecosystem in Ghana.