Stanbic Bank Ghana, lead sponsors of the annual National Farmer’s Day Celebrations, have officially handed over a brand-new Massey Ferguson MF 375 tractor to Prof. Akwasi Asabre Ameyaw the second runner-up of the 2022 National Best Farmer Awards.
Prof. Akwasi Asabre Ameyaw, who is a retired professor and former Vice Chancellor of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) and hails from the Techiman North District of the Bono East Region, said he entered into farming to be an example to others who have accomplished a lot in life but still have the spirit in them to contribute more to society.
He said “I was the Vice Chancellor for the University of Education, Winneba for 8 years and from there I took on the position of President at the Methodist University College, Ghana for 6 years. It was when I had the opportunity to be Vice Chancellor for the second time at UEW that I considered farming. I thought at that time that I had done enough in academia and it was time to do something else. And as someone from a farming community, I thought it was necessary to go back home, start farming and be an example to others and be a role model.”
Prof. Akwasi Asabre Ameyaw also thanked Stanbic Bank for its support to agriculture in Ghana and for donating the tractor. “I am grateful to Stanbic Bank for this gift and I pray that they become the biggest bank in the world because they have decided to help farmers and agriculture. I am going to work with the bank more even as I work on expanding my farm.”
The Head of Agribusiness at Stanbic Bank, Lillian Bazaale, who officially handed over the keys to Prof. Akwasi Asabre Ameyaw said driving Ghana’s growth, for the bank, means supporting the agriculture sector because of its contribution to the country’s economy.
She noted that “Ghana’s economy is largely dependent on agriculture with a significant part of our national GDP coming from the sector. Thus, improvement in the sector is critical for economic sustainability. Ghana is our home and we drive her growth and for us, driving Ghana’s growth automatically means supporting the agriculture sector.”
This year’s National Farmer’s Day Celebrations, which was the 38th edition, was held at the Jubilee Park in the Eastern Regional capital of Koforidua. In all, a total of 165 farmers and fisherfolk were awarded at the ceremony. Nana Siriboe, who is also the Akyempenhene of Juaben in the Ashanti Region, was adjudged the overall National Best Farmer 2022.
