AgriFair 2025 Closes with Strong Attendance, High Sales, and a Renewed Call for Local Agricultural Commitment

The three-day AgriFair 2025 has ended at the Efua Sutherland Children’s Park in Accra, drawing significant crowds and sparking intense engagement across Ghana’s agricultural value chain.

Organised by Channel One TV in collaboration with Citi FM/Citi TV, the event brought together farmers, agribusinesses, policymakers, researchers, consumers, and development partners in what many described as a timely and necessary encounter between food producers and the wider public.

Though positioned as an exhibition and sales fair, the event quickly became a platform for national conversation on Ghana’s dependence on food imports, challenges in local production, and the untapped potential of agribusiness as a sustainable economic driver.

A Call for Food Sovereignty

Speaking at the fair on Saturday, Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, issued a passionate call for a national reorientation of Ghana’s food systems. He warned that continued reliance on imports undermines national stability and independence.

“We all understand that a hungry man is not a free man,” he said. “So for us to free our people and give them absolute freedom, we need to produce food in abundance to feed the people of Ghana.”

The minister criticised what he described as a paradox in Ghana’s agricultural landscape, possessing fertile land, labour, and market access, yet still importing significant quantities of food. He stressed that the solution lies not only in policy but in the choices of Ghanaian consumers.

“The biggest challenge that confronts us as a nation is not from the government, it is from the people of Ghana,” he said. “When you look at the farmers, they have produced. The processors have added value. But the Ghanaian consumers will go to the market and choose foreign products against what is produced here.”

The call for deeper national support for local produce was echoed by Deputy Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Sampson Ahi, who announced that the government would soon launch a national agribusiness export policy. He said the new framework would offer exporters clear incentives and guidance to scale their businesses internationally.

“We will spell out benefits, advantages that exporters can take,” Mr. Ahi stated. “When we do that we will engage the exporters so that they can take advantage of what the government has for them.”

President John Dramani Mahama, he added, is personally chairing a committee focused on expanding sustainable exports with strong emphasis on value addition and structured support.

Innovation, Technology, and Strong Sales

Beyond speeches and policy previews, the fair featured live demonstrations, market stalls, and technology showcases. Innovation was a recurring theme, with several institutions highlighting alternative approaches to food systems and input challenges.

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) spotlighted its BBEST project, which promotes the use of Black Soldier Fly (BSF) larvae to convert urban waste into animal feed and organic fertilizer. The initiative, supported by NORAD, is already being piloted across multiple African countries, including Ghana, as a cost-saving, climate-smart solution for smallholder farmers.

Esoko introduced its PUSH initiative, a real-time communication platform that helps development agencies, agribusinesses and governments deliver timely voice and SMS messages to farmers across Ghana. Farmerline, a long-standing player in agricultural technology, also exhibited its suite of farmer support tools, including input distribution and market access solutions.

One of the most popular and well-patronised booths belonged to Fresh Logistics Limited, a subsidiary of the Agri-Impact Group. Known for their clean, greenhouse-grown vegetables, the company reported strong sales and repeated restocking during the fair.

Speaking to The High Street Journal, a company representative said, “Sales were really good on the first day. By around 2 p.m., we had run out of stock and had to quickly refill.” He added, “Our prices were competitive, and people were buying in large quantities.” The company also highlighted its broader distribution network: “We have stations in Accra where anyone can walk in and order fresh vegetables. Our team is always on standby to take orders and make deliveries,” he said.

Another crowd-puller at the fair was a creative collaboration between Volta Catch and Aquaculture Foods, which showcased an innovative range of products made from locally sourced tilapia. The stand drew curious crowds with its display of tilapia-based food chips and chewy snack bites, a modern twist on traditional fish consumption. Many fairgoers were surprised not only by the novelty but by how tasty and versatile the offerings were, proving that aquaculture has room to grow not just in volume, but in culinary creativity. The collaboration served as a striking example of value addition in Ghana’s fisheries sector and was a reminder that innovation in food isn’t just for grains and greens.

Across the fairgrounds, similar stories unfolded. Vendors of leafy greens and tomatoes found themselves restocking multiple times. Egg producers reported high turnover. Yam and cassava traders offered discounts to move bulk stock, which many attendees happily carried away in sacks and baskets. At nearly every produce stall, queues formed quickly, and many buyers returned the next day for fresh supplies.

Aside from market activities, the fair hosted Agric Clinics, interactive spaces where farmers and producers received one-on-one advice from agronomists, veterinary specialists, and market consultants. These sessions focused on practical solutions for crop production, livestock health, and market access strategies.

Looking Ahead

Beyond the foot traffic and transactions, the fair underscored the critical role such national events play in strengthening Ghana’s agricultural ecosystem. They serve as a bridge between policy and practice, technology and tradition, and most importantly, between rural producers and urban consumers. Events like AgriFair do not just offer temporary visibility, they help build trust, unlock new markets, and create opportunities that extend far beyond the tents.

As the country moves into the second half of 2025 and prepares for a hopeful 2026, expectations are high for more inclusive financing, improved logistics networks, and the scaling of agritech solutions that were showcased during the event. The hope is that initiatives launched or strengthened at AgriFair, whether government-led or private-sector driven, will translate into tangible improvements in productivity, food availability, and farmer incomes across the country.

The final day of the fair was marked by vibrant activity, with vendors offering discounts, entertainment by the Nkyinkyim Band, and sustained foot traffic from Accra residents and industry professionals. Notable visitors included Minister Eric Opoku, Deputy Minister John Dumelo, Deputy Trade Minister Sampson Ahi, former Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Wood, and former Minister of State Elizabeth Ohene.

Organisers described AgriFair 2025 as a successful convergence of commerce, knowledge-sharing, and advocacy. According to Channel One TV and Citi FM management, the event was designed not only as a sales opportunity but also as a way to build long-term linkages between producers and consumers, and to promote food security, youth innovation, and agricultural sustainability.

What lingered after AgriFair 2025 was more than the energy of a well-attended event, it was a quiet but growing resolve to take Ghana’s agricultural future more seriously.

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