The government has announced the deployment of 5,000 graduates in agriculture and veterinary sciences across the country to strengthen its flagship Feed Ghana Programme, a key pillar of its agricultural modernisation agenda.
Vice-President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang announced on Sunday, October 5, when she addressed a grand durbar to climax the 2025 Asogli Yam Festival in Ho, Volta Region.
She said the initiative will connect research with practical solutions in the field while providing modern extension services to farmers to improve productivity and ensure food security.
Tackling agriculture’s biggest challenges
According to the Vice-President, the programme is designed to address some of the long-standing challenges that limit Ghana’s agricultural output, including unpredictable rainfall patterns, post-harvest losses, and limited access to markets.
“This year, under the Ministry of Agriculture, the Feed Ghana Programme is being rolled out with tangible support, including significant allocations to agriculture in the 2025 budget,” she said. “Supporting projects such as the Vegetable Development Project, irrigation rehabilitation, greenhouse farming, and the famous Nkokɔ Nkititi poultry initiative are all part of this effort.”
She emphasised that the deployment of graduates will bring farmers closer to modern practices, noting: “These graduates will work side by side with farmers, introducing new techniques, bridging the gap between research and practice, and helping communities boost yields and incomes.”
Encouraging youth participation
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang used the platform to call on young people to embrace farming as a dignified and profitable venture, disclosing that the government is prioritising credit facilities and agribusiness training programmes to support youth in the Volta Region and beyond.
“The Volta Region has the land, the skills, and the spirit to become a major contributor to Ghana’s food security,” she said. “With cooperatives, mechanisation, and strong community participation, we can reduce post-harvest losses, create jobs, and improve livelihoods.”
She also stressed that agriculture must be repositioned as a driver of Ghana’s 24-hour economy vision, with modern tools, mechanisation, and market linkages at its centre.
Festival of culture and unity
The 2025 Asogli Yam Festival, known locally as Te Za, drew thousands of celebrants from across Ghana and abroad.
This year’s edition coincided with the 22nd anniversary of Togbe Afede XIV’s enstoolment as Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State.
Held under the theme “Together in Honesty and Purpose, We Build a Just, Peaceful and Prosperous Nation,” the festival celebrated both harvest and cultural heritage.
Traditional leaders, diplomats, government officials, and political figures joined the occasion, with the Vice President serving as Special Guest of Honour.
In her remarks, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang praised Togbe Afede XIV and the people of Asogli for preserving their traditions, saying the festival “is not only a celebration of harvest and thanksgiving, but a sacred reminder of our duty to build a future worthy of our heritage.”
Linking agriculture and national values
Beyond agriculture, the Vice President connected the festival’s theme to the fight against corruption, urging Ghanaians to uphold honesty and integrity in national life.
“Our progress as a people is strongest when it is rooted in truth, integrity, and shared purpose,” she said, calling for unity and a renewed sense of national responsibility.
Togbe Afede XIV, on his part, expressed gratitude to the gods and ancestors for a peaceful and successful celebration.
He thanked dignitaries and visitors who joined the festival and used the occasion to renew his call for honesty and moral uprightness in national life.
Quoting William Shakespeare, the English playwright and poet, Togbe Afede reminded Ghanaians that “No legacy is so rich as honesty,” stressing that corruption and dishonesty continued to undermine national development.
“It is sad that in a country as religious as ours, corruption has become normalised. We celebrate the wealthy without questioning how they earned their riches, and we often vilify the honest. We must change this narrative,” he said.
The Agbogbomefia called for renewed commitment to truth, transparency, and respect for the Constitution, emphasising that Ghana’s progress depended on citizens who value integrity and accountability.
Togbe Adzie Lakle Howusu XII, the Warlord of Asogli, highlighted the cultural and economic importance of the Yam festival.
He explained that the festival serves multiple purposes—thanksgiving to the Almighty and the gods for a good harvest, promoting reconciliation and unity among families, assessing annual progress, and mobilising resources for development.
He noted that yam cultivation, though laborious and risky, remained central to the Asogli people’s livelihood and identity.
He appealed to the government to support the Ho Technical Institute with modern classrooms, workshops, and hostel facilities to enhance technical and vocational education.
He also urged chiefs within the Asogli State to help resolve land and chieftaincy disputes, stressing that peace and justice were essential to development.
The 2025 Te Za drew participation from traditional leaders from across the region, Ewe chiefs from Togo and Benin, and delegations from Tamale and Northern Ghana.
Also in attendance were ambassadors from Italy, Côte d’Ivoire, and others, as well as senior government officials and National Democratic Congress party leaders.
The celebration, marked by rich cultural displays, music, and dance, reaffirmed Asogli’s reputation as a centre of unity, peace, and forward-looking leadership in the Volta region.
With the roll-out of the Feed Ghana Programme and the deployment of 5,000 graduates, the government hopes to cement agriculture as a cornerstone of economic transformation, while festivals such as Asogli’s Yam Festival serve as platforms for dialogue, cultural preservation, and national renewal.
