The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) has asked the Finance Ministry to reverse Ghana’s decision to withdraw from the World Bank-funded West Africa Food System Resilience Programme (FSRP), warning that the move could put hundreds of millions of cedis in existing commitments at risk.
In a letter to Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson, Agriculture Minister Eric Opoku said the withdrawal request submitted to the World Bank on September 23 was made without prior consultation with his ministry.
MoFA said GH¢643.87 million had already been committed under the programme for ongoing agricultural infrastructure and related activities. Of this amount, GH¢520.26 million is linked to an International Development Association credit, while GH¢123.61 million comes from the FS2030 Trust Fund.
“The Ministry requests urgent reconsideration of the decision,” Mr Opoku stated in the letter.
The ministry warned that abandoning the programme without alternative financing could leave government responsible for outstanding obligations and expose it to delays, additional costs and possible contractual claims.
Projects potentially affected include irrigation rehabilitation works at Weta, Vea and Kpong, as well as interventions in selected inland valleys.
The World Bank has already directed an immediate pause on activities and procurement financed under the affected funding arrangements. Tomato seed and micro-irrigation initiatives supported through a Norwegian grant have also been suspended.
MoFA said the disruption could also affect elements of the government’s Feed Ghana Programme, including farmer registration, digital systems and planned recruitment.
The ministry is asking the Finance Ministry to formally retract the withdrawal notice and engage the World Bank to secure the resumption of affected activities.
