Domestic rice production is meeting 56% of national demand, up from 42% when the Feed Ghana Programme launched in April 2025, according to Minister for Food and Agriculture Eric Opoku. A new irrigation scheme in the Ashanti Region is expected to build on that progress and further reduce reliance on imported rice.
Opoku broke ground on the 175 hectare Anunuso Water Conservation Scheme at Brofoyedu, near Asokore in the Sekyere East District. When complete, it is expected to provide sustainable water resources and enable year round farming for 220 farmers in Brofoyedu and surrounding communities. Farmers, he said, will be able to grow crops all year, depend far less on seasonal rainfall and raise both the volume and the consistency of rice production in the area.
The scheme is integral to the government’s Feed Ghana Program, specifically its Irrigation for Wealth Creation initiative, which is designed to give rice farmers a more reliable water supply. Opoku described irrigation as a crucial pillar, since access to water is fundamental to higher crop productivity. The wider goal is to raise domestic production, cut import dependence, strengthen food security and create jobs and wealth through agriculture. Rice is among the priority commodities, particularly at Anunuso, and other sites earmarked for similar development include Kpong, Tano and Bia, among others.
The project is also a component of Lot 1 of the West Africa Food System Resilience Program, which aims to strengthen resilience and food security through selected inland valley irrigation projects in the Ashanti Region. The programme was developed by the government of Ghana with ECOWAS, is funded by the World Bank and is running at the same time in eight other West African nations. In Ghana it spans 57 districts across ten regions, namely the Upper East, North East, Northern, Bono East, Bono, Ashanti, Eastern, Central, Volta and Greater Accra regions.
Gaps remain. Officials acknowledge that storage, transport, processing and market access still hold back the initiative’s full potential. Opoku said the government wants to build on its gains by raising rice production substantially, so that Ghana can move beyond meeting domestic consumption and sell into continental and global rice markets. He added that the project carries particular weight in a country whose agriculture depends heavily on rainfall, and that irrigation would lift output while giving farmers greater control over their crops.
To keep the scheme working long after the ceremony, the Ministry will engage farmer associations and coordinate the formation of a Water Users Association, which will be crucial to maintaining the facility and keeping it profitable for all users. Opoku was accompanied by Deputy Minister of Agriculture John Dumelo, Ministry officials and traditional stakeholders.
