Five thousand graduates in agriculture and veterinary sciences will soon be deployed under the ongoing “Feed Ghana Programme” to support food security and modern farming practices nationwide.
Vice President, Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyeman announced this initiative in her address at the grand durbar of the 2025 ‘Teza’ (Yam festival) of the Chiefs, Queens and people of the Asogli traditional area on Saturday, October 4, 2025, in Ho.
The initiative marks a renewed national commitment to bridging research and practice through modern extension services.
According to the Vice President, the Feed Ghana Programme was designed to transform Ghana’s agriculture sector through innovation, technology, and human resource deployment.
“This year under the Ministry of Agriculture, the Feed Ghana Programme is being rolled out with tangible support, including significant allocations that have been made to agriculture in 2025.
“This also includes 5,000 graduates in agriculture and veterinary science who will be deployed across the country, including the Volta Region, to work side by side with farmers providing modern extension services, sharing new techniques, and helping bridge research and practice.”
She explained that the deployment of the 5,000 graduates to ensure that farmers across the country, including those in the Volta Region, receive hands-on support and access to research-driven solutions would be a game-changer.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang emphasized that the programme forms part of a larger agricultural agenda aimed at addressing challenges such as erratic rainfall, post-harvest losses, and limited access to markets. She further assured the public that government was taking deliberate steps to promote vegetable farming and poultry production through initiatives like the Vegetable Development Project and the Nkokɔ Nkititi poultry programme.
The Vice President called on the youth to embrace agriculture as a “viable and profitable venture,” stressing that new agribusiness and credit support schemes were being established to encourage youth participation. She said the government was also expanding training opportunities to equip young people in the Volta Region with agribusiness and technical skills.
She noted that the Asogli Yam Festival serves as an important platform to promote agricultural innovation and reward excellence among farmers. She described the festival as “a symbol of Ghana’s agricultural resilience and unity of purpose.”
“The Yam Festival is not only a celebration of harvest and thanksgiving but a sacred reminder of our duty to build a future worthy of our heritage,” she said, praising the Asogli State and its leadership for maintaining their cultural traditions and agricultural pride.”
Unity, Integrity, and Renewal:
Held under the theme “Together in Honesty and Purpose, We Build a Just, Peaceful and Prosperous Nation,” the 2025 Asogli Yam Festival also marked the 22nd anniversary of Togbe Afede XIV’s enstoolment as Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State.
The event brought together traditional leaders, government officials, diplomats, and citizens from across Ghana and beyond, including delegations from Togo and Benin.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang linked the theme of the celebration to the government’s broader development goals under President John Dramani Mahama, stressing that honesty, cooperation, and community effort were essential to achieving national prosperity. “Our progress as a people is strongest when it is rooted in truth, integrity, and shared purpose,” she said.
Togbe Afede XIV, in his address, thanked the gods and ancestors for a peaceful celebration and commended the government for prioritising agriculture and youth empowerment. He urged Ghanaians to restore honesty as a core national value. “No legacy is so rich as honesty,” he reminded the gathering, quoting William Shakespeare.
“It is sad that in a country as religious as ours, corruption has become normalised. We celebrate the wealthy without questioning how they earned their riches, and we often vilify the honest. We must change this narrative.”
Togbe Adzie Lakle Howusu XII, the Warlord of Asogli, underscored the economic and cultural importance of yam cultivation, describing it as central to the livelihoods of the Asogli people. He explained that the festival also serves as a period of reflection, thanksgiving, and community reconciliation.
He appealed to the government to support the Ho Technical Institute with improved classrooms, workshops, and hostel facilities to strengthen technical and vocational training. He further urged chiefs within the Asogli State to work together to resolve land and chieftaincy disputes, which he said were “vital to maintaining peace and promoting sustainable development.”
The 2025 ‘Teza’ celebration featured rich cultural displays, traditional music, and dance performances, reflecting Asogli’s enduring commitment to peace, unity, and agricultural renewal.
With government interventions like the Feed Ghana Programme, the region’s agricultural future appears increasingly aligned with national goals for food security and economic transformation.
By Nelson Ayivor