The Ghana Agribusiness Investment Summit, an annual conference of investors, sector leaders, and policy makers aimed at attracting investments in Ghana’s agricultural sector, kicked off today in Accra. The Summit was jointly opened by the Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, Hon. Dr. Ahmed Yakubu Alhassan and the U.S. Ambassador, H.E. Gene Cretz.

With a theme of “Overcoming Obstacles to Unlocking Agricultural Investments in Ghana”, over 300 participants, including local and international investors, attended the Summit. The Ghana Agribusiness Investment Summit is a flagship event organized by the USAID through Financing Ghanaian Agriculture Project (FinGAP). Part of the Feed the Future Initiative, FinGAP has a special focus on transforming the agriculture sector through increased investments in rice, maize and soy value chain agribusinesses.

Leading financial institutions including Ecobank, Barclays, Sinapi Aba, Root Capital and Injaro Agricultural Investment Holdings showcased agricultural financing models. Dialogue focused on reducing risk with agricultural insurance products to boost support from financial institutions. The full version of an innovative online Investment Mapping System (IMS) was also re-launched at the summit. The IMS will be used to identify existing and future investment opportunities in Ghana’s Northern Savannah Ecological Zone. It can also be used to project future production of rice, maize and soy in a given production location while analyzing the results for needed investments in these value chains.

Mr. Cretz, the U.S. Ambassador said to participants, “This event is about you, meeting your needs as agribusinesses, and needs as financial institutions to maximize good investment opportunities with minimal risk. It is about expanding levels of food security in Ghana.”

The summit concluded with business-to-business meetings between investors, agribusiness leaders, and business advisory services providers. Policy makers, donors, and think tank representatives held a session a promoting Public Private Partnerships in Agriculture.

Rick Dvorin, Chief of Party of FinGAP said, “We are beginning to see banks in Ghana show strong interest in investing in agriculture. That is a good sign. The next step is to see competitive interest rates for the agric sector. FinGAP is here to help banks use innovative tools to unlock financing to Ghanaian agribusinesses.”