Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, John Dumelo, has called for more youth participation and engagement in the agriculture sector to contribute to its growth and also reduce unemployment rates in the country.
According to him, he has contributed in making the Agriculture sector one which has become attractive to the Ghanaian youth.
Speaking during his vetting by Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, John Dumelo spoke about the critical significance of making agriculture more attractive to the nation’s youth and providing an appreciation to the agriculture value chain, which extends beyond farming to include roles in machinery, input supply, and agro-processing.
According to him, the population of the nation’s workforce in the Agric sector are predominantly old people, averaging 50 and 55 years, hence the need for more youth to venture into the space and ensure food security.
John Dumelo stressed that attracting younger people to the sector is crucial for its sustainability and growth.
“Ever since I got into the agricultural space and also with the coming in of social media, anytime I make a post about agriculture and make it look exciting, I get a lot of engagements and people expressing their desire to enter the space. However, what I tell them is that not everybody can go into farming.”
“You have a whole value chain; we have those who do the farm, those who hire the machines, those who sell agricultural inputs, and those who add value to the farm produce. Ever since I made it public that I am into farming a lot more young people have gone into agric which is a good thing.”
“If you look at the average age of farmers, they fall at 50-55 years, which is bad. So, we need more people to get into agriculture and we need more youth to drive the agricultural bus,” he stated.
John Dumelo also addressed the broader issue of unemployment, describing it as a national problem. He assured that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government is committed to resetting the economy and creating employment opportunities, particularly in the agricultural sector.
“The unemployment situation is a national problem, and we in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) are about to reset the economy of the country, we will make sure that we create employment opportunities, especially in the agricultural space.”
Within the developing agenda of Ghana, agriculture is identified as one of the economic pillars. The nexus/connection between agriculture development and Ghana’s ability to achieve its food and nutrition security goals are inextricably linked.
Agriculture is important to the development of any nation, Ghana being no exception. Development must include the youth and therefore the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) seeks to encourage their participation in the agricultural sector.
This effort seeks to change the negative perception the youth have of participation in agriculture, (farmers) as uneducated, unskilled, physical labourers with extremely low economic return. Modern agriculture is more than tilling the soil and animals. The sector today offers career opportunities in research, environment, financial management, engineering and other technical areas for the youth to explore.
The introduction of the Youth in Agriculture Programme (YIAP) is necessary and vital to facilitate food and nutrition security.
Watch video:
‘More young people have ventured into agriculture since I got into the space and started sharing about it on social media’ – @johndumelo highlights his impact during his vetting.
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