Minority Leader warns of neglect in agriculture amid focus on gold for reserves

Ghana stands at a critical juncture as political leaders increasingly sound alarms about the systematic neglect of the agricultural sector in favour of gold reserve accumulation—a policy shift that threatens both the nation's food security and long-term economic resilience. For European investors, this misalignment represents both a cautionary tale and a genuine market opportunity. The controversy centres on Ghana's decision to prioritise gold purchases for international reserves rather than invest substantially in agricultural modernisation. While building foreign currency buffers serves legitimate macroeconomic purposes, the opportunity cost has become increasingly visible. Agriculture accounts for approximately 18-20% of Ghana's GDP and employs roughly 35% of the workforce, yet receives disproportionately low capital allocation relative to its economic significance. Ghana's agricultural sector faces well-documented structural challenges: outdated farming techniques dominate rural production, supply chain inefficiencies inflate food costs, and youth migration from farming communities threatens generational knowledge transfer. Meanwhile, climate variability—intensified by changing rainfall patterns across West Africa—has become increasingly unpredictable, making farmer resilience critical to national food security. These structural issues require substantial, sustained investment that policymakers have largely deferred. The political pushback reflects growing recognition that this policy imbalance is unsustainable. Ghana's food import bill continues rising while domestic agricultural productivity