English
Français
Since 2017, GOPA AFC has supported the implementation of the Market-Oriented Agricultural Program in northwest Ghana (MOAP–NW), a project co-financed by the EU, operating in the districts of Upper West Region, two districts in the Savannah Region and one district in the North East Region. The project focuses on the capacity development of relevant stakeholders along the groundnuts, vegetables, rice, mango, soy, sorghum, and cashew value chains, working with input providers, small scale producers as well as processors and traders.
MOAP-NW, through various interventions, prepared the region for market access through support to sustainable agricultural productivity, optimized production and improved processing. In this context, one of the challenges has been to better connect the region to national, regional and international customers by using a unified marketing platform. MOAP-NW has helped farmer groups and entrepreneurs develop marketing-oriented strategies and has supported agribusiness fairs and conferences to showcase the region as a promising investment destination in the field of agribusiness and processing. Northern Ghana is blessed with large agricultural lands for crops and animal production that can potentially serve much larger markets than at the present time and digital marketing is considered an important tool to increase market access.
Digital marketing is a modern form of marketing that utilizes digital channels such as search engines, social media and websites, to connect with existing and potential customers. It enables businesses to create an online community that represents their organizations across all platforms, personalize interactions between consumers and producers and reach a larger audience. The reason for creating this digital marketing platform is to connect with customers at the places they already frequent online. With the internet's widespread accessibility, the number of daily online users continues to grow. By utilizing digital marketing, SMEs can draw in, engage, and satisfy customers on the internet, ultimately leading to increased sales.
In this context, MOAP-NW has collaborated closely with the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI) to establish a shared marketing platform for products and services offered in the region. The collective aim of this effort is to position the region as a potential hub for production and processing power in Ghana. Members of this platform include individual and commercial farmers, organized farmer associations, aggregators, processors, traders and service providers.
As an important outcome of this cooperation, the GNCCI launched the “Made in Northern Ghana (MiNG)” marketplace digital platform at the beginning of 2024. The MING is a common virtual marketing platform for all products and services produced in the five regions of northern Ghana, including shea products and agro-products.
Speaking at the launch, Mr Jeremiah B. Tengan, the Upper West Regional Manager of the GNCCI, said the initiative was borne out of research the GNCCI conducted which revealed that though there were good products and services in northern Ghana, access to market was a challenge.
Mr. Tengan indicated that the GNCCI had carried out a sensitization tour across the five regions of the north to inform the business operators about the MiNG and its potential benefit to them. He emphasized that the MING would provide producers with a direct access to customers and substantial values for their products. He therefore encouraged commercial farmers and industry players to take advantage of the platform to market their products without dealing with intermediaries.
Mr. Reuben Binpori, Inclusive Business Development Expert of GOPA AFC at MOAP-NW, observed that some farmers and producers are still grappling with market challenges and that the MING would represent an opportunity to increase market outreach.
Take a look yourself of what northern Ghana has to offer: www.mingghana.com