MiDA CEO raises alarm over ‘Wasted Agricultural Assets’

Ghana's agricultural sector stands at a critical juncture. While the nation possesses substantial physical infrastructure designed to boost food production and agribusiness development, a significant portion of these assets remain underutilized or entirely non-functional. This inefficiency represents both a systemic challenge and a compelling investment opportunity that European entrepreneurs are beginning to recognize. The Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MiDA), Ghana's apex microfinance institution, recently conducted a comprehensive assessment of the country's agricultural infrastructure ecosystem. Their investigation encompassed critical production and distribution nodes: irrigation schemes that should be generating year-round harvests, dams built to support water-dependent agriculture, inland valley systems suitable for dry-season farming, agricultural markets, and processing facilities. The findings paint a troubling picture of underutilized potential across Ghana's agricultural value chain. These wasted assets represent substantial capital already deployed into Ghana's economic infrastructure. Irrigation systems constructed with government and donor funding often operate at fractions of their intended capacity. Processing facilities sit idle due to inadequate supply chains, technical mismanagement, or lack of working capital. Markets lack proper facilities, cold chains, and logistics infrastructure necessary to handle agricultural products efficiently. For European investors, this situation creates a paradoxical landscape: significant bottlenecks exist precisely where solutions can generate substantial