Beyond Ceremony: GAWU’s Call for a Ghana Agricultural Service Signals a Turning Point for Food Security

An analysis of the union’s strategic demand for institutional reform to secure Ghana’s agricultural future.

ACCRA – The annual National Farmers’ Day celebration in Ghana, a moment traditionally reserved for accolades and awards, has been reframed this year by a powerful and urgent call for systemic change. In a landmark statement, the General Agricultural Workers’ Union (GAWU) of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has pivoted from pure celebration to a demand for structural reform, declaring that the day is “meaningless” without the establishment of a permanent Ghana Agricultural Service (GAS).

This move, detailed in a statement signed by General Secretary Andrews Addoquaye Tagoe and reported by AllAfrica, represents a significant shift in the public discourse surrounding Ghana’s agricultural policy. It moves beyond acknowledging challenges to proposing a concrete, institutional solution modeled on the nation’s established Ghana Health Service and Ghana Education Service.

The Core Argument: From Ad Hoc Policy to Professional Service

GAWU’s central thesis is that despite commendable government initiatives—such as the Presidential Initiatives in Agriculture and Agribusiness (PIAA) and increased focus on mechanization—the sector remains hamstrung by a lack of permanent, professional infrastructure. The union warns that without this, policies risk being “reactive, ad hoc, and lack long-term continuity.”

“Farmers’ Day risks becoming just a ceremony unless we institutionalise support for agriculture in a very concrete, decisive, and structural way,” the statement asserts. The proposed GAS would be tasked with driving policy formulation, extension services, research, and implementation, creating a consolidated pillar for national development.

The Stark Data Behind the Call

GAWU’s demand is underscored by revealing data points that highlight systemic gaps:

• Critical Extension Gap: The current farmer-to-extension officer ratio stands at an alarming 1:1,500, triple the internationally accepted standard of 1:500. This severely limits practical, on-the-ground support for farmers battling climate volatility and market shifts.
• Graduate Unemployment Paradox: While Ghana’s agricultural colleges produce a steady stream of knowledgeable graduates, key institutions like the Department of Agriculture and research bodies often lack the “financial clearance or budgetary space” to hire them, leading to a waste of talent and expertise.
• Research Infrastructure Deficit: The union highlighted the stalled establishment of a National Horticulture Research Institute, initially approved in 2013, as emblematic of stalled progress in diversifying and innovating beyond staple crops.

Broader Implications for Food Security and Economic Stability

The call for a GAS is not an isolated policy suggestion but is framed as a prerequisite for achieving the 2025 Farmers’ Day theme: “Feed Ghana, Eat Ghana, Secure the Future.” GAWU connects the dots between institutional stability and tangible outcomes:

1. Securing the Cocoa Backbone: The statement links the need for a robust agricultural service to the urgent recapitalization of the debt-laden Ghana COCOBOD. A professional service could provide the sustained, technical oversight needed to complement financial restructuring, ensuring the cocoa sector’s survival and growth.

2. Mainstreaming Farmer Knowledge: GAWU emphasizes that agricultural workers “know the soil, understand the seasons, and the challenges, but their voices are seldom part of policy design.” A formalized service would create channels for integrating this frontline expertise into national planning.

3. Creating Viable Youth Pathways: By formally employing agricultural graduates and providing clear career structures, a GAS could make farming and agribusiness more attractive to the youth, addressing both unemployment and an aging farmer population.

A Tribute with Teeth: Recognizing Women and Demanding Action

True to its union roots, GAWU’s statement concludes with a “Special Tribute to Women in Agriculture,” acknowledging those who “plant, harvest, process, trade, and cook, often without recognition.” This is not merely ceremonial; it is coupled with a pledge to “fight for your rights, your safety, and your rightful place in leadership.” This positions the proposed GAS not just as a technical body, but as an inclusive institution.

The GAWU statement marks a potential inflection point. It leverages the platform of Farmers’ Day to issue a challenge: will celebration be enough, or will it be matched by the political will to build a lasting institution? The union’s argument is that honoring farmers requires securing the systems that allow them to thrive. As the statement powerfully concludes, “If we truly want to secure the future, we must secure the people who feed the nation.” The proposed Ghana Agricultural Service is now the litmus test for that commitment.

Primary Source: This analysis is based on the original report: “Ghana: GAWU Congratulates Ghanaian Farmers, Calls for Establishment of Ghana Agriculture Service” via AllAfrica.