The Agriculture Development Bank (ADB) PLC has fulfilled its pledge of GH¢1million as the ultimate prize to Nana Yaw Sarpong Siriboe, the 2022 National Best Farmer.
Nana Yaw Sarpong Siriboe, who hails from Asante Juaben, was crowned the 2022 Overall National Best Farmer at the 38th National Farmers’ Day celebration held at Koforidua of the Eastern Region in December 2022.
The presentation, which took place at the forecourt of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in Accra, followed the submission of a satisfied sponsorship disbursement proposal by the award winner through the Ministry to ADB.
Delivering his speech at the presentation, Managing Director of ADB, Alhaji Alhassan Yakubu-Tali, said the bank received a disbursement proposal plan from Nana Yaw Sarpong Siriboe through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, “and after necessary assessment by our Agribusiness Division, we were satisfied with the proposal presented”.
In the proposal, the 2022 National Best Farmer indicated he would invest the GH¢1million ultimate prize into construction of the Siriboe Agritech Training Institute – a training centre to train the youth in agriculture, especially in agric technology, sustainable farming ideas and best practices in farming. “We reckon the enormous benefits the Institute will bring in terms of creating sustainable employment will go a long way to reduce the cancerous rural urban drift. The award will complement the personal investment of Nana to bring the institute into reality,” the Managing Director said.
“As we have done in the past, the bank will provide Nana with a dedicated Relationship Manager to assist in ensuring proper utilisation of the funds,” he added
Alhaji Alhassan Yakubu-Tali expressed the bank’s pride in headlining sponsorship of Farmers’ Day since 2001. “Our long-standing sponsorship of the welcome cocktail, the farmers’ forum and the ultimate prize forms part of the bank’s unwavering commitment to encouraging our gallant farmers and fishers to grow more, feed more and create more wealth for themselves and the nation.”
He indicated that ADB has repositioned itself as the bank of choice when it comes to agriculture lending and the provision of other related supports, including advisory services. “The bank remains a major partner for all agriculture-related programmes and projects of government. ADB has been the lead financier of Planting for Food and Jobs, Rearing for Food and Jobs, Planting for Export and Rural Development, the agricultural component of the One District-One Factory Initiative, and provision of Outboard Motors to the fisher-folk among others.’.
He said the sector requires a critical partner like ADB for agricultural financing and growth, adding there is no doubt that the critical role played by ADB has greatly contributed to sustainable agriculture in Ghana. He pledged to work with the sector-minister to bring his foresight and vision for the ministry into fruition in order to guarantee food sufficiency and ensure the agricultural sector remains the economy’s backbone.
The Managing Director assured the ministry and government that the bank will continue to support the agenda of harnessing the power of agribusiness for wealth creation. He commended Ghanaian farmers and fishers for their contribution to development of the nation through agriculture, even in the midst of global economic challenges. He congratulated Nana Yaw Sarpong Siriboe once again for winning the 2022 National Best Farmer Award.
On his part, the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong, commended ADB for consistently sponsoring National Farmers’ Day and providing the ultimate prize. He reiterated that his ministry highly appreciates the contribution of ADB in motivating farmers and supporting the development of agriculture – especially through partnerships that are strategically designed to deliver solutions for problems in the sector.
“The recent adversities of COVID-19, climate change and the Russian-Ukraine war and their combined impact on the global economy – particularly hikes in food inflation – highlight the need to prioritise matters of food security and resilience. This also reinforces the importance of greater national investments in agriculture and a conscious effort to incentivise our farmers,” the minister added.
Receiving the ultimate prize, the 2022 National Best Farmer, Nana Yaw Sarpong Siriboe, expressed his heartfelt appreciation to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) PLC for the honour given to him. He said the ultimate prize (GH¢1million) will facilitate the various projects he has already started, which will greatly benefit agriculture in Ghana.
