As agriculture becomes a district issue as a result of the decentralization process currently underway in Ghana, GSSP is working to sensitize leaders at the district level on the importance of agriculture in general, as well as providing training in the development of policy alternatives. As part of these efforts, GSSP organized a course at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore on governance and agribusiness development. In order to incorporate policymakers at all levels, training participants included members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs along with members of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, including the Deputy Minister, the Director of the Human Resources Directorate, District Chief Executives, and District Agriculture Directors.
Some of the issues addressed in this training include: 1) models for governance that balance government and markets; 2) how to create an enabling environment for agribusiness development; 3) models for public and private partnerships; and 4) enhancing competition in the agribusiness sector through direct and indirect policies. The course involved seminars, cases on successes and failures in Indian agricultural policy, discussions on what has and hasn’t worked in Ghana and how these lessons could be applied, and field visits to a successful seed company, a cooperative dairy organization, a contract farming operation in organic cotton, and several pilot projects to improve rural services.
An article on the team's field visit to Mysore: Ghana Seeks IIMB Assistance to become Agricultural Powerhouse