Agriculture underpins Ghana’s economy, and horticulture is becoming a major growth engine. Demand for vegetables is rising with population growth, urbanization, and healthier diets — opening opportunities for farmers producing tomatoes, chili peppers, onions, cabbage, cucumber, and lettuce.
However, vegetable producers face persistent barriers: limited access to quality seed and inputs, weak irrigation infrastructure, and low uptake of climate-smart technologies. Extension services and technical support are also constrained, reducing productivity, resilience, and profitability.
A significant step forward came on 29 October 2025 with the official launch of the Ghana Seed Partnership (GSP) at the Agrofood & Plast Printpack Fair in Accra. Organized by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ghana with the Ghana Netherlands Business and Culture Council (GNBCC) and other stakeholders, the initiative signals a new phase in Ghana–Netherlands agribusiness cooperation, according to a press release.
Partners and Stakeholders Behind the Initiative
GSP unites 13 organizations across public institutions, private agribusiness, and international research and development. The core implementing partners are GNBCC and Advance Consulting.
Key partners include:
- East-West Seed, Rijk Zwaan, Bakker Brothers, Enza Zaden, leading seed companies with global presence.
- Regional and commercial actors such as Truvalu, Simba, IWAD, Profyta, Zasco bringing local and regional market and distribution experiences.
- Knowledge and research institutions, notably Wageningen University & Research (WUR), West Africa Horticulture Innovation Hub at the University of Ghana and SeedNL, offering technical expertise and innovation support.
What the Ghana Seed Partnership Seeks to Achieve
The Ghana Seed Partnership (GSP) aims to modernize and strengthen Ghana’s vegetable seed sector through a holistic, market-led, and sustainable strategy. Its central goal is to develop a high-performing seed ecosystem that better serves smallholder farmers and agribusinesses, while supporting Ghana’s wider agricultural transformation agenda.
To achieve GNSP’s objective, four work packages have been created:
- Enabling environment support – Improve the regulatory framework, support the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, and advance public-private knowledge and dialogue on vegetable seeds.
- Commercial seedling production – Research and establish the first commercial vegetable seedling nursery in Ghana, build capacity of agricultural colleges and growers on seedling production and cultivation.
- Variety trials – Test different varieties, perform breeding tests, test different levels of mechanization and build capacity of agricultural colleges on variety trials.
- Market development – Develop the market for hybrid varieties through research, demonstrations and a social media campaign.
