All rights reserved. The Agricultural Sector The Bank of Ghana's governor, Dr. Godfrey Agama, does not hesitate when asked in which sector the government is most anxious to attract investment. Agriculture is the mainstay of the Ghanaian economy, making up 46 percent of GDP and directly or indirectly supporting 80 percent of the local population. The days are fading fast when agriculture was characterized by small-scale farming of the cash crop cocoa or subsistence foods.
Cocoa is still the country's second biggest export.
But as part of the economic recovery program, Ghana has taken the World Bank's advice to diversify and, helped by an expansion in extension schemes, farmers are now producing pineapples, cotton, ginger and bananas for export. New markets are being developed in the Middle East and new partners found, such as Malaysians from that country's Palm Oil Research Institute to grow oil palms. The opportunities are immense. Research commissioned by the World Bank has shown that more than 60 exportable tropical food items can be produced in Ghana. Samuel Quansah, President of the Federation of Association of Ghanaian Exporters, has organized various seminars as well as trips to the Plant Genetics Center to encourage members to try growing new products such as avocado, mango, cashews and grapefruit.