The Chamber of Agribusiness Ghana (CAG) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the African Fertiliser and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP) to collaborate on development activities and promote sustainable growth of Ghana’s agriculture sector.

The MoU signing paves way for the two organisations to leverage on each other’s strength to enhance the opportunities and profitability of agribusinesses.

The ceremony was used to launch the second edition of the Ghana Agribusiness Excellence Awards, which recognised deserving agribusiness value chain actors and individuals who performed exceptionally in the industry.

Mr Jason A. Scarpone, the President and the Chief Executive Officer of AFAB said that since the establishment of AFAP’s office in Ghana, it had offered strategic support and direction to the development of the agribusiness sector especially along the fertiliser value chain.

He said over the years, the organisation worked with the private sector players and donors to effectively intervene in critical areas to address the existing bottlenecks of quality, accessibility and availability.

He said agriculture and agribusiness had the full potential to unlock the greatest economic benefits in any African country and continuous interventions like such partnerships among relevant stakeholders was needed from public and private sector to develop the entire value chain.

On the awards launch, he said it would give the opportunity to recognise the roles played by brilliant people and honour the work they were doing to impact and transform agribusiness in Ghana.

On his side, Mr Anthony Selorm Morrison, the Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Agribusiness Ghana said the MoU would go a long way to strengthen the already existing collaboration they were working on over the years and that there was mutual benefits for both parties.

He said the Chamber of Agribusiness came into being four years after the African Union Continental Agribusiness Stock Taking and that it became necessary for private sector to be oriented to partner the government in the delivery of the agribusiness value chain principles.

Mr Morrison said the MoU served as a strategic partnership that would advance more technical cooperation between a more advanced institution focused on liberalising fertiliser and agribusiness to their benefits.

He said the second edition of the awards would be a greater one as more farmer-based organisations had thrown their weight behind it adding that the 2019 awards was being done in partnership with the National Farmers’ Association, National Farmers’ award winners, Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana and AFAP.

He said the awards will recognise deserving institutions and individuals who had over the years, played major roles in transforming the agriculture and agribusiness in Ghana and would honour 32 individuals and institutions.