Government spending on agriculture, forestry, and fishing in Ghana 2012-2022

Government spending on agriculture reached around 104 million U.S. dollars in 2022, a considerable decrease compared to the previous year. Considering the period examined, government expenditure in the sector peaked in 2021, while it was lowest in 2015. Agriculture covered nearly 19 percent of Ghana's GDP in 2022.

An agriculture-oriented society

Government spending on agriculture in Ghana further reflects the significant role agriculture plays in the country’s economy as well as in the lives of Ghanaians. In fact, over half of the total land area of the country, roughly 55 percent, is used for agricultural purposes. This is higher than the share of land used for agriculture in Africa, which stood at nearly 39 percent in 2021.

A cocoa-exporting country

The use of agricultural land for cocoa production in Ghana contributes to increasing the value added by the crop to the country’s GDP. In 2021, the most valuable agricultural products exported from the country were cocoa beans, paste, and butter. Total exports of these cocoa products reached a combined value of about 2.3 billion U.S. dollars that year. Ghana is the second-largest producer of cocoa in Africa after Ivory Coast.