Ghana to establish 21,000-tonne grain storage facility in Upper West

The Ministry of Food and Agriculture has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with DMT Collateral Management to establish a 21,000-metric-tonne grain storage facility in the Upper West Region.

The project, expected to be completed by August 2027, will involve the construction of silos in Wa to reduce post-harvest losses, improve food storage capacity and strengthen national food security.

The facility is also expected to support the Government’s Feed Ghana Programme by providing storage infrastructure for increased production of rice and maize, while maintaining emergency grain reserves.

Mr Paul Minlah, Managing Director of DMT Collateral Management, said the project would include a designated food security hub and an emergency reserve facility, which he described as a “hospital bin” to provide food supplies during emergencies.

He said the company would lead the technical and commercial development of the project, mobilise financing and work with a joint project implementation committee to ensure its successful delivery.

Mr Minlah said the equipment and construction component of the project was backed by an export credit facility of approximately €4.8 million, with an additional investment of about US$5 million.

He noted that the project would also build local capacity through the training of National Service personnel, Feed Ghana Brigadiers and Ghanaian technicians in silo operations, grain drying, quality management and maintenance.

Mr Eric Opoku, Minister of Food and Agriculture, said the facility would help address the country’s inadequate storage infrastructure, which remained a challenge despite increased production of rice and maize.

He explained that although the National Food Buffer Stock Company had resources to procure food from farmers, it lacked sufficient warehouse and storage capacity to accommodate the produce.

Mr Opoku said the Ministry would support the implementation of the project and ensure that technical personnel, National Service personnel and Feed Ghana Brigadiers participated in the training programmes.

He described the Wa facility as the first phase of a broader national storage infrastructure expansion programme, indicating that the Government was considering the establishment of between 15 and 20 similar facilities across the country.

The Minister urged DMT Collateral Management to commence implementation promptly to enable the Ministry to align its activities with the project’s timelines.

In a related development, Omanbapa AgriTech Limited presented publicity materials, including banners, branded souvenirs and flyers, to support the 42nd National Farmers’ Day celebration scheduled for December 4, 2026, in Sunyani, the Bono Regional capital.

Mr Opoku commended the company for fulfilling its commitment and appealed to other institutions and corporate organisations to support the celebration to ensure its success.