Ghana Agribusiness Center, an Information Hub for Ghana’s Agribusiness Investors

Interview with Dennis Sedem Ehiakpor, Managing Partner at Ghana Agribusiness Centre

What was the idea behind this Centre? Who founded it?

The idea came up after years of working with Non-Governmental Organisations and teaching at the Faculty of Agribusiness and Communication Sciences (FACS), University for Development Studies, Nyankpala Campus. We came to the realization that job opportunities abound in the agribusiness sector yet graduates from agricultural related programmes are unemployed and/or mostly rely on government for employment instead of doing something on their own to employ themselves. We therefore thought of assisting these graduates, the youth and women in particular to set up their own businesses by providing mentorship and internship opportunities to them as a first step to providing a panacea to their unemployment situation. We do this by attaching them voluntary to small and medium scale agribusinesses and entrepreneurs or mentors across the country. This was meant to offer them some practical skills and experience. Once they have augmented their knowledge with some practical skills, they are better positioned to start their own businesses and employ others. Their mentors could even serve as guarantors for them to acquire financial support in this direction.

Besides, GABC is an information hub that provides information to the agribusiness sector in general. Anyone interested in the sector, irrespective of his/her background can have access to some critical basic information necessary in the establishment of a business in the country. We have consultants from diverse backgrounds to assist those who do not have the technical knowhow or cannot read and write. We currently do this for free and bare most of the costs ourselves.

We have consultants from diverse backgrounds to assist those who do not have the technical knowhow or cannot read and write. We currently do this for free and bare most of the costs ourselves.

Are you looking for partners to help you fund this?

Sure, we would be delighted, if we could strike up a partnership with someone or an organisation for mutual benefit, it would go a long way to help us, as we currently at our limits in doing these. As I said we provide basic information for the agribusiness sector and need to update this information regularly. The cost of collecting and analysing information before uploading it unto the website for use by the public are personally borne by us. Striking a strategic partnership with a major player in the agribusiness sector would be a boost to our activities. We also have a marketing session that links buyers and sellers reliably and transparently to transact business.

That is your strategy to get out there and have a bigger footprint?

Yes. We want to provide the necessary information for the youth and women in particular to start up their own businesses. Anyone interested in investing in the agribusiness sector in Ghana should find this website indispensable. We provide all the necessary basic information, such as where you can get land, profitable areas/crops, who are the regulators and the relevant laws, stakeholders/actors, opportunities in various locations and sectors in the country etc.

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