IFAD, Ghana, and World Bank Launch ‘AgriConnect’ Compact to Revolutionize Ghana’s Agri-Food Systems
Milling Cassava on Josma Farms in Mampong Ghana. ©IFAD/Nana Kofi Acquah.
Accra, Ghana – June 4, 2026 — The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has formally partnered with the Government of Ghana and the World Bank to launch the Ghana AgriConnect Compact. This flagship initiative is aimed at accelerating the transformation of the country’s agri-food systems and driving inclusive economic growth.
Announced at a launch event in Accra, the AgriConnect Compact sets out an ambitious, private sector-led, and government-enabled strategy to position agriculture as a central driver of economic transformation, job creation, and resilience.
Lakshmi Moola, IFAD Country Director for Ghana, underscored the initiative’s importance, stating, “Through AgriConnect, IFAD is deepening its commitment to end rural poverty and build resilient, inclusive food systems in Ghana. Together with partners, we are scaling investments that deliver jobs, opportunity and lasting impact for rural communities,”.
The agricultural sector remains a cornerstone of Ghana’s economy, contributing about 22% of GDP, 24% of export earnings, and employing roughly 38% of the workforce. Despite its importance, the sector continues to face challenges such as low productivity, climate variability, limited access to finance for smallholder farmers and rural enterprises, and weak integration into markets.
Targets and Key Areas
The Compact will prioritize transformation across key agricultural value chains, including cocoa, oil palm, rice, maize, and poultry, alongside other critical sectors such as tree crops, fisheries, and the forest economy.
By 2030, the initiative aims to achieve transformative results, specifically:
- Improving food and nutrition security for nearly three million people.
- Creating more than 2.6 million jobs across aggregation, processing, production, and marketing activities.
IFAD’s participation in AgriConnect builds on its ongoing portfolio in Ghana, which includes the Promoting Rural Opportunities, Sustainable Profits and Environmental Resilience (PROSPER) programme and the Affordable Agricultural Financing for Resilient Rural Development (AAFORD) project. The Fund will also co-finance the World Bank’s Food Systems Resilience Programme.
AgriConnect is a broader World Bank Group initiative intended to help 300 million smallholder farmers globally commercialize their harvests more effectively by 2030. Supported by partners including the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Bayer, and Google, IFAD has pledged through this global effort to reach at least 70 million small-scale farmers worldwide by 2030.
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