Ghana Seed Partnership Embarks on Implementation with Kick-Off Meeting, Exhibition, and Northern Field Visit

The Ghana Seed Partnership (GSP) has officially entered its implementation phase, beginning with a Kick-Off Meeting in Accra on Thursday, 30th October 2025. Prior to this meeting of the project partners, there was a horticulture exhibition at the Accra International Conference Centre. After the Kick-Off Meeting, the partners embarked on a field visit to Tamale in the Northern Region.

Organized by the Ghana Netherlands Business and Culture Council (GNBCC) and Advance Consulting, with support from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and RVO, these events marked an important milestone in a long and trusted cooperation between Ghana and the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the field of agriculture.

Kick-Off Meeting at La Villa Hotel

The Kick-Off Meeting was held at La Villa Boutique Hotel in Osu, bringing together implementing partners, public institutions, and private sector representatives.

The meeting provided a platform for partners to outline implementation priorities, clarify roles, and align expectations for the rollout of the Ghana Seed Partnership.

Four key presentations shaped the discussions:

• Program Overview and Implementation Plan – Fred Frimpong (GNBCC) and Nieke Westerik (Advance Consulting) shared the partnership’s structure, goals, and coordination approach.
• Dutch–Ghanaian Collaboration Framework – presented by the Netherlands Embassy, focusing on bilateral synergy and long-term sustainability.
• Private Sector Participation and Investment Pathways – showcased how agribusinesses can co-invest and collaborate to strengthen Ghana’s seed value chain.
• Learning Questions – Sjoerd Herms (Advance Consulting) led a discussion on the key learning questions the Ghana Seed Partnership aims to address.
  

The meeting emphasized collaboration, co-creation, and sustainability as guiding principles for the implementation of the Ghana Seed Partnership. Partners reaffirmed their commitment to creating an enabling environment, improving access to quality seeds for farmers, building strong research–industry linkages, and supporting Ghana’s agricultural transformation through innovation and inclusive growth.

Horticulture Exhibition at the Grand Arena

While the technical discussions were ongoing at the Kick-Off Meeting on the 30^th of October, the program’s exhibition segment unfolded at the Grand Arena of the Accra International Conference Centre, where both Dutch and Ghanaian companies showcased their innovative products and services.

Participating companies included:

• Labelle Farms – soothing herbal teas, cocoa and date powders, and pure spearmint oil.
• Peg’s Granular – nutritious granular shito and seed-based condiments.
• The Trust Master – growers and exporters of fruits and vegetables.
• Interplast – producers of quality plastic piping systems supporting irrigation.
• AB Farm Ventures – local producers and exporters of high-value crops.
• Ako Fresh – creators of solar-powered cool boxes and trycicles for smallholder farmers.
• Farmitecture – pioneers in smart vertical farming for urban food security.
• Good Cane – producers of healthy, natural fruit juices.

The exhibition created a vibrant marketplace of ideas and innovation, highlighting the potential of Ghana’s horticulture value chain and fostering new partnerships between Ghanaian and Dutch enterprises.

Field Visit to Tamale – Exploring Climate-Resilient Agriculture

Following the meeting in Accra, the Dutch delegation and selected GSP partners traveled to Tamale, where they engaged with regional stakeholders, researchers, and farmers to explore opportunities for sustainable horticultural development in Northern Ghana.

The team visited the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research – Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (CSIR-SARI) and other agricultural sites, engaging in discussions on crop breeding, improved seed varieties, and resilient production systems suited to the region’s challenging agro-ecological conditions.

Partners such as IWAD, WACWISA, ACHI, SeedNL, and Bakker Brothers joined local experts and lead farmers to examine water management challenges in northern Ghana. Discussions centered on climate resilience, including innovations such as drip irrigation, shade nets, and low-tech indigenous methods like grass cover systems to conserve soil moisture.

The visit concluded with a networking dinner hosted by the Northern Regional Minister, Hon. John Adolf Ali, at the Red Clay Studio, featuring a curated menu by Chef Dudughu celebrating Northern Ghana’s rich food heritage.

A Step Forward in Partnership and Practice

Together, the events in Accra and Tamale represented a holistic start to the Ghana Seed Partnership, combining strategy, innovation, and field experience.

“This is more than a project; it’s a partnership of shared learning and joint action,” said Fred Frimpong, Project Manager at GNBCC. “From Accra to Tamale, we are connecting people, ideas, and solutions that will define the future of Ghana’s seed sector.”

The Ghana Seed Partnership is implemented by GNBCC and Advance Consulting, with support from RVO and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and brings together key partners including Truvalu, Simba, Enza Zaden, Bakker Brothers, IWAD, Profyta, East-West Seed, Rijk Zwaan, Zasco, Wageningen University and Research (WUR), and SeedNL.