Ghana launches Afram Plains farm service hub and bridge plan to unlock food production
Ghana has announced a farm service center, a 3.6-kilometer Afram River bridge and new irrigation works to unlock the agricultural potential of Afram Plains.
President John Dramani Mahama has unveiled a combined infrastructure and agriculture package for the Afram Plains area, one of Ghana’s key food-producing zones. The centerpiece is a new Farmer Services Centre at Takoratwene, alongside a government commitment to build a permanent bridge over the Afram River to remove long-standing transport bottlenecks.
Mahama said residents have endured years of unreliable movement because of the pontoon ferry system. A recent breakdown left passengers stranded mid-journey and underscored how urgently a permanent crossing is needed. In response, the government plans to construct a 3.6-kilometer bridge across the Afram River and add about 100 kilometers of feeder roads to improve access for people, farm inputs and produce.
The bridge project falls under the GH¢10 billion Big Push Programme. Officials say the investment should ease movement of goods, stimulate local economic activity and unlock the wider agricultural potential of the enclave. For farmers, that matters because transport constraints directly affect market access, haulage costs and post-harvest losses.
The new Farmer Services Centre is designed as a one-stop support point for registered farmers. Mahama said the facility will provide modern farm equipment, inputs, fertilizers and technical services. He described Afram Plains as one of Ghana’s main food baskets and said the center should help stabilize prices, raise farm incomes and significantly reduce post-harvest losses.
As part of the broader support package, the government has allocated GH¢3 million to the National Buffer Stock Company to buy produce and guarantee offtake for farmers. Mahama also stressed that agriculture can no longer depend only on rainfall. He said irrigation projects covering about 900 hectares have already been initiated in the area, and once completed the irrigated land will be allocated to interested farmers for year-round production.
The president also reiterated plans to provide free fertilizers and expand irrigation systems more broadly. Eastern Regional Minister Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey called the facility Ghana’s first Farmer Services Centre and said it will provide equipment, technical support, weather information and market intelligence. She argued that these services should lift yields, create jobs for young people and reduce the frequent waste of produce at the farm gate.
Awatey also urged farmers to make fuller use of the area’s fertile land, livestock potential and the aquatic resources of the Afram River, while calling on extension officers to intensify support. Taken together, the bridge, feeder roads, service center, procurement backing and irrigation plans amount to a new development model for Afram Plains in which infrastructure and agricultural policy are meant to work together to strengthen food security.