World Vision Ghana has organized a National Market Actors Forum under its Everyone THRIVE Project, aimed at strengthening market systems and promoting inclusive economic growth.
The forum, held under the theme “Partnering for Prosperity: Strengthening Market Linkages for All,” brought together key stakeholders from government, the private sector, financial institutions, farmer organizations, development partners, and academia.
The Everyone Transforming Household Resilience in Vulnerable Environments (THRIVE) Project is an economic empowerment initiative designed to build resilient livelihoods, promote inclusive market systems, and ensure sustainable household incomes — particularly for smallholder farmers, women, youth, and vulnerable populations across Ghana.
The event provided a platform to promote strategic partnerships, share innovative ideas, and advance equitable market development. It also featured high-level policy dialogue and the presentation of practical recommendations to strengthen market systems.
A representative of World Vision Ghana, Joshua Baodu, reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to improving livelihoods through the THRIVE initiative. He noted that child well-being is closely linked to household economic stability.
He disclosed that the program aims to support about 160,000 households to double their incomes, impacting over 400,000 people within three years through capacity building and strong partnerships.
Stakeholders were urged to support smallholder farmers through inclusive investments and enabling policies, with a call for concrete commitments to drive sustainable transformation and shared prosperity.
Launching the forum on behalf of the Northern Regional Minister, Baba Ahmed Abdul Rahaman commended World Vision Ghana for organizing what he described as a timely and impactful initiative.
He emphasized that while agriculture remains central to the regional economy, its full potential is hindered by challenges such as poor market access, inadequate financing, weak infrastructure, and limited coordination among value chain actors.
He stressed the need for stronger collaboration among producers, processors, buyers, and financial institutions, adding that government remains committed to supporting inclusive market systems through improved policies, enhanced extension services, and better access to resources.
The keynote speaker, Evelyn Abakah, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Commodity Exchange, highlighted the importance of partnerships in transforming Ghana’s agricultural sector.
She noted that farmers and SMEs continue to face challenges such as limited market access, price volatility, post-harvest losses, and inadequate financing.
According to her, prosperity can only be achieved through collaboration, structured systems, and mutual trust among stakeholders.
She revealed that a Memorandum of Understanding signed in June 2025 between World Vision Ghana, the Ghana Commodity Exchange, and partners is already yielding results under the Thrive 2030 agenda.
Through this collaboration, GCX is facilitating market linkages by providing warehousing, building farmer capacity, and enabling access to wider markets through its trading platform.
Early successes, she said, include the engagement of 99 farmer groups across multiple regions, commodity trade facilitation, and the development of training materials on post-harvest handling.
The forum concluded with a strong call for sustained partnerships and actionable commitments to drive agricultural transformation and position Northern Ghana as a hub for inclusive economic growth.
Source:Fiilafmonline/Walkiyatu Issahaku
