The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Ministry of Finance have signed an agreement under which USAID will support improved agricultural data analysis.

Under the agreement, USAID funds will be used to recruit a technical advisor, train staff and provide equipment to the Agriculture and Agribusiness Unit of the Ministry of Finance.

These resources will enable the Ministry to make agricultural sector policy decisions on a stronger evidence base, leading to more informed public sector investments.

The Agriculture and Agribusiness Unit compiles, analyses, and summarises information from across the Government of Ghana and external sources to advise policymakers on microeconomic developments and policy issues in the agricultural sector. Despite the importance of agriculture to Ghana's economy, it is one of the first units of its type, and will serve as a model for developing similar analytic capabilities for the energy, industrial, and service sectors.

The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Seth Terkper, and the USAID/Ghana Mission Director, Ms. Cheryl Anderson, signed the agreement in Accra on June 20, 2013.

Ms. Cheryl Anderson said: “This support to the Agriculture and Agribusiness Unit will be a driving force to make sure that policymakers have the right information to make tough decisions and look critically at the various options available to them.”

USAID support is being provided under President Obama’s Feed the Future initiative, which aims to improve food security, incomes, and nutrition in Ghana and around the world.

In Ghana, USAID’s efforts are concentrated primarily in the North -- working in rice, maize and soybean value chains. As part of the Feed the Future initiative and the G8 New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, USAID supports Ghana to address three jointly-defined policy priorities: improved policies on agricultural inputs; a secure environment for inclusive private sector investment; and a transparent, evidence-based, and inclusive policy process.

The American people, through USAID, have provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for over 50 years.