President John Mahama has stressed that modernising agriculture is central to Ghana’s economic development.

Mahama highlighted the urgent need for the country to adopt innovative farming practices, invest in technology, and support farmers to ensure food security and economic growth.

He noted that while Ghana has significant agricultural potential, much of it remains untapped due to outdated practices, lack of mechanisation, and insufficient investment in research and infrastructure.

Speaking as the special guest at the opening of the Ghana AgroTech Fair 2026, themed “Transforming Agribusiness through Local Innovation and Technology,” Mahama called on both the government and private sector to collaborate in implementing strategies that empower farmers with modern tools, training, and access to finance.

He said “Events such as this do more than just showcase machinery and technology; they connect ideas to enterprise, research to industry, and innovation to investment. In doing so, they help to transform agriculture from a sector of survival to a sector of opportunity, productivity, and national prosperity.”

Mahama noted that the event comes at a pivotal moment in Ghana’s development, as agriculture across Africa is often viewed narrowly through the lens of subsistence farming and vulnerability.

“This AgroTech fair comes at an important moment in Ghana’s development journey. Across Africa, agriculture has often been discussed only in terms of subsistence farming vulnerability, but if properly structured, agriculture is one of the most powerful engines of transformation,” he said.

He emphasised that agriculture should be understood beyond just cultivation, highlighting its wider economic significance.

“Agriculture is not merely about cultivation, agriculture is also about productivity, it is about value addition, it is about industrial development, it is about jobs and exports, and increasingly agriculture is about technology and innovation,” he added.

The former President further stressed the need to modernise the entire agricultural value chain to unlock its full potential.

“This fair reminds us that the future of agriculture lies not simply in expanding acreage but in modernising the entire agriculture value chain. From the farm to the factory, from production to processing, from logistics, packaging, and global marketing,” he said.

He also commended the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Agribusiness, the Ghana Exports-Import Bank, and other partner institutions for organising the event, describing it as an important platform for promoting agricultural technology and agribusiness development in the country.