When a journalist friend recently reached out to me for my perspective on Ghana’s tomato industry, my response caught him off guard. I told him plainly: Ghana, as it stands today, is not functioning as a nation — it is merely a piece of land occupied by people whose collective conduct has consistently undermined their own progress. Dishonesty, greed, wickedness, selfishness, and a culture of disobedience have become the defining characteristics of how we manage our most precious resources. He asked me why I felt so strongly. What followed was a conversation that I believe every Ghanaian — especially those in agriculture — needs to hear.
Nkrumah Knew What We Have Forgotten
In the 1950s, long before modern agricultural science had the vocabulary we throw around in conferences today, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah did something remarkable. He established tomato processing factories in the Wenchi area of the Bono Region and in the Upper East Region of Ghana. This was not an accident or a political gimmick. Nkrumah, without the benefit of the PhDs in Science or Agriculture and research fellowships we proudly flaunt today, understood something fundamental: tomatoes require vernalization — a period of cold temperature exposure to thrive and produce optimally. He recognized that these specific geographic locations offered climatic and environmental conditions suitable for year-round tomato production, making them ideal anchors for a sustainable processing industry.
That was visionary leadership grounded in practical science.
What did we do with that vision? We dismantled it. We collapsed those factories brick by brick, policy by policy, and neglect by neglect — then replaced a production-based economy with a “buy and sell” mentality, convincing ourselves that trading was development. We celebrated merchants while abandoning manufacturers. We imported tomato paste from China and Italy while our own farmlands sat idle or underutilized. We told ourselves we were being smart. We were not. We were being lazy, short-sighted, and deeply self-destructive.
The Betrayal of Public Trust: Where Did the Money Go?
Now, decades later, the same people who presided over or benefited from this collapse are crying about the state of Ghana’s tomato industry. Farmers are losing harvests. Processing capacity is virtually non-existent. Prices are volatile and unpredictable. Import bills are bleeding the nation dry.
But before we shed any tears, there are questions that demand honest answers.
What happened to the funds disbursed under the OBATANPA CARE PROJECT for tomato seed production? This was not a small intervention. Real money — public and donor money — was allocated specifically to build a local tomato seed system that could underpin the entire value chain. Where are the results? Where is the accountability? Where are the seeds?
What became of the numerous grants received to revolutionize Ghana’s seed system? Ghana has, over the years, attracted significant international funding to develop its agricultural seed sector. These grants came with mandates, milestones, and the genuine expectation of transformation. Instead of systemic change, what we often got were workshops, reports, and the appearance of progress — while the actual seed industry remained fragile, import-dependent, and largely dysfunctional.
The Conference Circuit: Selfies, Per Diems, and Empty Hands
Here lies perhaps the most painful truth of all. A significant portion of Ghana’s agricultural professional class has become addicted to what I call the conference economy. They travel — sometimes internationally — to forums, summits, and workshops. They take photographs with dignitaries. They collect fat daily allowances. They deliver polished presentations about Ghana’s agricultural potential. And then they come home and do absolutely nothing with what they learned, discussed, or committed to.
This is not professional development. This is performance. It is a charade dressed in the language of development, and it is costing Ghana enormously — not just in wasted funds, but in wasted time during a period when our agricultural sector desperately needs transformation, not tourism.
If your attendance at an international seed conference does not translate into a single policy change, a single improved variety reaching farmers, or a single systemic reform back home — then the trip was not for Ghana. It was for you.
Seed Associations: Development Bodies or
Ponzi Schemes?
Perhaps the most damning indictment is this: seed associations in Ghana are increasingly operating like ponzi schemes for private individuals. What were established as collective bodies to advance the interests of seed
producers, promote quality standards, and drive innovation have, in many cases, degenerated into vehicles for personal enrichment. Leadership positions are sought not for the platform they offer to serve farmers, but for the access they grant to grants, subsidies, and donor relationships.
The farmer at the end of the value chain – the one who actually needs quality, affordable, locally-adapted tomato seed — remains the last priority.
The Path Forward Requires Honesty First
Ghana has everything it needs to build a world-class tomato industry. The land is there. The climate is there. The historical blueprint, laid down by Nkrumah himself, is there. What is missing is integrity – institutional, professional, and personal integrity.
We must demand full transparency and accountability for every agricultural grant and public fund disbursed in the seed and tomato sector. We must restructure seed associations to serve farmers, not insiders. We must return to a production-first philosophy and stop celebrating the importation of what we can and should be growing ourselves. And we must be willing to ask the hard questions out loud, even when it makes powerful people uncomfortable.
Ghana is not poor in potential. It is poor in accountability. And until we fix that, no amount of donor funding, no number of conferences, and no new project acronym will save our tomato industry — or our agriculture — from ourselves.
Source: Amos Rutherford Azinu, PhD
