Ghana and Nebraska are deepening their trade relations with a renewed focus on commercial agriculture and agribusiness, capitalising on the enormous Ghanaian agricultural resources and the knowledge and technology from the American State.
This is through the Ghana-Nebraska Agribusiness, Growth and Trade Relations Chamber (GNEBCham), who held a forum between Ghanaian players in the agriculture value chain as well as sector leads from Nebraska Wednesday evening in Accra.
Speaking exclusively with the Ghana News Agency, Alberta Nana Akyea Akosa, Co-Founder, GNEBCham, said the Chamber, within the past four years, had explored the gaps in Ghana’s agric sector, and poised to bridging them through innovation and enhanced trade.
The focus areas are livestock, agric education, crops (soybeans and maize) machinery, equipment, and agro-processing, which were aligned with the government’s flagship initiative – Feed Ghana Programme.
She noted that the Chamber’s flagship programme had, over the years, focused on sending Ghanaian business members to Nebraska each September for business matchmaking and partnership and now considering commercial farming and value addition projects.
“We are always looking for our individual interest, but this time, we’re coming together as a Chamber to even have a commercial farm project, bringing value and volume to the table and exporting our products in large quantities sustainably,” she stated.
Mr Ken Schilz, former Nebraska State Senator and Co-Founder, GNEBCham, noted that the development was to boost Ghana -Nebraska ties, particularly deepening agribusiness and trade in a mutually beneficial manner.
Recognising that American agricultural equipment were often large for Ghanaian smallholder farm operations, he said the partnership would see to the development of more suitable machinery that would be easier to use, maintain and repair.
“Agricultural equipment, tractors and everything are so big… We’ve got some companies now that are making smaller equipment that is simple to work on and easy to switch parts out and addresses practical challenges in agricultural development,” Mr. Schilz said.
He explained that through organisations like the Agrihouse Foundation in Ghana, there had been the establishment of an echo centre, dedicated to facilitating business connections between the two regions.
He noted that successful international business relationships required sustained effort, saying: “It’s work every day to let people understand that these opportunities are out there, but it’s not just like you sign on the dotted line and everything happens.”
On the governmental level, he recalled recent sessions between representatives from Nebraska State and key decision-makers from Ghana’s Ministry of Food and Agriculture for initiatives that would benefit both parties.
“The chamber represents a growing trend of State-to-nation agricultural partnerships that bypass traditional federal trade channels, creating direct connections between agricultural communities separated by thousands of miles but united by similar farming challenges and opportunities,” Mr Schilz stated.
Source: GNA
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