Mr. Chairman,
Your Excellency, Alhaji (Dr) Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice-President of the Republic of Ghana,
The Honourable Minister of State at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture,
Distinguished Guests,
The Media,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today is indeed a remarkable day in the lives of farmers of our dear nation and it is very significant that it is taking place in the region that has since time beyond our memories dedicated itself to feeding Ghana as a nation.
The Northern Region is proud to host such an august occasion for the eighth time in a roll and warmly welcomes His Excellency, the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, all dignitaries and the entire citizens of Tamale to the 8th Pre-harvest AgriBusiness Exhibition and conference.
Mr. Chairman, Agriculture is said to be the bedrock of every nation’s economic development. In view of this agriculture should be prioritized regardless of the cost.
This is account for Nana Akufo Addo’s led government to implement the Planting for Food and Jobs which eventually gave birth to another innovative initiative known as Planting for Jobs and investment programme.
The Pre-Harvest Conference and Exhibition is therefore a strategic event that should be supported and encourage to become a prominent tool for driving Agribusiness in Ghana to its rightful place. The presence of no less a person than His Excellency the Vice President of this great nation clearly confirms how critical we deem the sector and how as a government we are supportive of such initiatives.
Mr. Chairman, with thousands of stakeholders here today in the form of farmers, buyers, processors, transporters, input dealers, equipment dealers, financial institutions, telecom companies and policy makers, it is critical that the opportunity provided here is not missed.
There is no better time than now to interact and create the necessary contacts for future dealings because this is a sector that thrives on collaboration.
This is year’s theme “Agribusiness in Northern Ghana, the Future Starts Now”, is not only fascinating but timely. Timely in the sense that it has coincided with the leadership that has the vision to free the people of Ghana from the shackles of poverty through Agriculture.
For a nation to make the needed progress in the area of Agribusiness, there should be an effective link between government and the private sector since none can do it alone.
Mr. Chairman, from us in the Northern Region, Agriculture means everything to us. In view of this, we are committed to any initiative that puts smiles on the faces of farmers and their families.
We will urge our young ones to go into farming and apply scientific knowledge through education in the production of food. This will ensure that we have enough food for our people and it will also reduce the rate of importation of food and its impact on the economy.
Once again, on behalf of the Chiefs and people of Northern Region I welcome you all to this important exhibition.
I wish you a fruitful event.
Thank you and May God bless us all.