My name is Joromana Phiri, I am a female Zambian and an Agroforester working in the public sector.
1. My understanding on Public Private Partnership in agribusiness is that these are long-term collaborative agreements where the public and private sector actors sign memorandums of understanding in order to provide value addition to effective and efficient service delivery.
PPPs are a tool that is being used to gather scarce resources in one basket to reduce risks, improve productivity and drive sustainable growth in the agriculture/food sector. With so many challenges and constraints facing the public sector, resources are limited so PPPs avail these resources in order for agribusiness advancement and other crosscutting issues of gender, health and environmental sustainability to be achieved.
PPPs also endeavor to enhance better operations and benefits along the agribusiness marketing chain.
2. Agri-PPPs in the Ghanaian context enhance productivity and revenues thereby fostering improved socioeconomic conditions for smallholder farmers.
- they enhance soil fertility and rehabilitate degraded lands
- contribute to infrastructure development especially for provision of accessible road networks for input and market delivery.
- they help in sound policy decision making for the benefit of the agriculture sector creating an enabling environment for all parties involved.
- agri-PPPs facilitate the reduction on imports for raw materials hence decrease production costs for agro-processing industries as they begin to buy more materials locally
- farmer employment is enhanced as well as youth and women participation in agricultural ventures
- they also enhance supply chains for countries like Ghana.
Examples are some of the experiences from past and present projects in Ghana such as:
A. Buabin Oil Palm Out grower Project (BOPOP)
B. Cadbury Cocoa Partnership (CCP)
C. The Rubber Project (Agricultural Development
Bank of Ghana & AFD of France)
D. Sorghum Value Chain Development Project
(source: FAO. 2013. Agribusiness public-private partnerships – A country report of Ghana.)
3. Smallholder farmers can be protected and agri-PPP still be attractive to private investors through conducive working environments. The providers of services and the beneficiaries alike must operate in an atmosphere of enhanced collaboration as well as that of good governance and political will.
Capacity building in sustainable agricultural production by incorporating Agroforestry activities in production systems is ideal. Climate smart mitigation and adaptation is necessary to reduce Climate change impacts and counter risks of crop failure or loss of profits.
Development of a knowledge based economy will call for stimulated community participation of small & medium enterprises (SMEs) who in the long run are more proactive to make informed decisions thereby improving their entrepreneurial activities.
In order to fully protect smallholder farmers it is also important that there is a concrete action based exit mechanism in place for government participation. Abrupt stoppage of programs should by all means be discouraged (OECD, 2004).
5. A multi-sectoral approach would be more effective for private sector engagement and investment in agribusiness in Ghana. Commitments must be kept in the dual process of PPPs. Transparency and accountability should be the norm at all stages.
A broader analysis should be promoted in the context of the organizational and socioeconomic benefits for all involved in the innovation system inclusive of indigenous smallholder especially women and youth.
Limiting urbanization by improving social amenities and youth opportunities in the rural areas. Youth agriculture should be promoted and incentives provided for innovative systems thinking. Risk and uncertainty assessments must be done well in advance of project implementation and strategies for coping well tabulated (Akullo et al, 2018).
6. Coordination of investments in agribusiness through PPP should involve assessment of the knowledge base of farmers in order to ascertain capacity building gaps and needs.
- issues of Land ownership should be addressed in order to secure land tenure rights of beneficiaries.
- Bureaucracy in the public sector must be curtailed in order to secure investment. Incentives must be provided to workers in the civil service to enhance service delivery.
- Internal and external meetings/workshops should integrate case studies on good practices in PPP around the world for better project implementation.
- enhanced collaboration between actors to foster job satisfaction
- tailoring subsidiaries to attract private investment.
7. Progress on agri-PPPs implementation in Ghana should be documented and reported by involving all stakeholders in publication reviews especially at the stages of data collection and analysis.
- Reputable media and organisations should be involved in ICT development
- enhancing research and development
- creation of platforms and networks for mass advocacy as well as effective upscaling and out scaling of agribusiness activities. Community radio groups similar to those used by PANOS could be formed.
- Providing reflexible but reliable mechanisms for monitoring, reporting and verification for effective documentation.
8. In order to come up with stakeholders list a major stakeholder analysis can be done. These could include National Planning departments of the Ministry of Finance and Agriculture and other line departments dealing in agricultural related activities.
- Indigenous people's ( local rural chiefs/authority)
- media institutions both public and private
- universities both public and private
- research institutions both public and private
- NGOs
- Agribusiness industries/ Agro-dealers
- Youth groups
- Certification and Regulatory bodies
Joromana Phiri