Nov 19- 2025

GHANAIAN DELEGATION, LED BY DEPUTY MINISTER HON. JOHN DUMELO, CONCLUDES STRATEGIC AGRICULTURAL MISSION TO ALBERTA, CANADA

OTTAWA, Canada, 19th November 2025 - Hon. John Dumelo, Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, and Hon. Charity Gardiner, Ahafo Regional Minister, led a technical delegation from Ghana on a strategic agricultural mission to Alberta, Canada, from November 2nd to 7th, 2025. The delegation included senior officials from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and representatives from the Trade and Investment Section of the Ghana High Commission in Canada. The visit aimed to advance Ghana’s agricultural modernization agenda through knowledge exchange, institutional collaboration, and investment facilitation.
The delegation undertook a structured program of academic engagements, field visits, investment forums, and intergovernmental consultations across Calgary, Red Deer, Lacombe, Olds, and Edmonton.

The mission commenced with an Academic and Business Dialogue at the University of Calgary, where Hon. Dumelo delivered a keynote address outlining Ghana’s strategic priorities in agriculture. He emphasized initiatives aimed at increasing youth participation, minimizing post-harvest losses, and promoting sustainable practices through the use of agrotechnology. He also identified targeted investment opportunities in tomato processing, poultry production, and cashew value addition.
Field visits provided the delegation with direct exposure to Alberta’s advanced agricultural systems. At Pentagon Farm Centre, members observed precision equipment from John Deere and Bourgault. Doef’s Greenhouses showcased year-round pepper production using controlled environment agriculture. Sunnycrest Seed Potato Farm demonstrated cutting-edge storage and sorting technologies, while Sawback Brewery illustrated models of agribusiness value addition.

An Investment Forum hosted by the Ghana-Canada Chamber of Commerce featured presentations on Ghana’s agricultural investment landscape. Hon. Dumelo detailed government incentives and priority sectors, while Hon. Charity Gardiner presented a regional perspective, highlighting Ahafo’s strengths in cashew, cocoa, and food crop production, as well as its growing potential in agro-processing and export-oriented agriculture. She also outlined key development constraints, including the absence of a referral hospital, limited road access during the rainy season, inadequate hospitality infrastructure, under-resourced technical institutions, and insufficient storage and processing capacity. Her remarks underscored the need for targeted investment and institutional support to unlock the region’s full potential.

Bilateral discussions with senior officials from the Alberta Ministry of Agriculture focused on livestock development, agricultural education, mechanization, and trade. Both parties acknowledged structural differences in farming systems and explored targeted collaboration in mechanization and technical training.

The delegation also attended the Edmonton EXPO 2025 and Farmfair International, gaining insights into North American livestock practices. A visit to Olds College of Agriculture & Technology provided a comprehensive overview of its integrated academic and practical training model at the 3,000-acre Smart Farm. The college expressed interest in institutional partnerships to support agricultural education in Ghana.

This mission has laid a solid foundation for enhanced cooperation between Ghana and Canada in the agricultural sector. The delegation returns with actionable insights and partnership frameworks that align with Ghana’s commitment to agricultural transformation through international collaboration.