At the Ghana Horticulture Expo 2026, Fidelity Bank Ghana called for a fundamental shift in how the country finances and structures its agricultural sector. Speaking on behalf of Managing Director Julian Opuni, Divisional Director John‑Paul Taabavi highlighted that Ghana’s non‑traditional agricultural exports generated about US$710 million in 2025, while cocoa paste alone produced US$789 million over the same period. He noted that the difference lay largely in what happens after the harvest.
Taabavi argued that agricultural sovereignty does not mean producing everything domestically, but rather controlling more of the value Ghana creates, retaining more income within the economy, and ensuring more Ghanaian businesses participate in the wealth generated by Ghanaian agriculture. With non‑traditional exports reaching US$5 billion in 2025 and Ghanaian products now reaching 152 countries, demand is not the constraint. The greater challenge sits between the farmer and the market – cold storage, aggregation, processing, packaging, logistics, quality standards, certification, reliable energy and access to appropriate finance.
He questioned conventional thinking on agricultural risk, asking whether risk is inherent or created by the way it is financed. Taabavi called for financing structured around production cycles, verified transactions, credible off‑take agreements and warehouse receipts rather than traditional collateral alone.
Fidelity’s Export Club, launched in 2023 with the Federation of Associations of Ghanaian Exporters (FAGE), now supports more than 400 exporters and farmers. Through the BRIDGE‑in‑Agriculture programme with the Mastercard Foundation and the bank’s SME channels, Fidelity has disbursed more than GHS 160 million to FAGE members, generating approximately US$40 million in foreign‑exchange inflows by July 2026.
SME Banking Director Alex Amponsah‑Agyei explained that partnerships with the Ghana Incentive‑Based Risk‑Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (GIRSAL), the eco.business Fund, the Mastercard Foundation and Development Bank Ghana have enabled lending at a total cost of 7 % under the BRIDGE‑in‑Agriculture initiative and the acceptance of farmland as security – a departure from traditional practice.
Head of Commercial Banking James Orraca‑Tetteh stressed the need for creative partnerships, citing the Fidelity Young Entrepreneurs Fund as an example of ring‑fenced concessionary financing paired with structured capacity building for youth and women in agribusiness.
Taabavi concluded that sovereignty is created when innovation, investment and enterprise transform what comes from Ghana’s soil into lasting national prosperity, and that Fidelity will continue to partner in building value chains that create jobs, expand exports and unlock shared prosperity.
