Analysing trends in agricultural output in Ghana 1995 2015: Underlying causes and options for sustainable growth

Thesis submitted to the Department of Business Administration, Ashesi University College, in partial fulfillment of Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, April 2017Agriculture’s impact in Africa has led to the conclusion that it is the lifeblood of many Africa economies. In Ghana, agriculture was historically the dominant sector of the real economy accounting for more than 30 percent of GDP post-independence although more recently, it has declined sharply and is the smallest sector of the economy as at 2016. Despite that, the sector still plays a key role in Ghana’s economy and employs 44.7 percent of the population above15 years. The continuous decline of output in the agricultural sector and its sub-sectors growth in Ghana raises many questions worth investigating. This paper investigates the trends in productivity of the agricultural sector to outline causal factors and options for sustainable growth. Literature indicates that the sector will remain as a mainstay sector for the growth of Ghana’s economy in the coming years. The study uses in-depth analysis of interviews to outline causal factors and options for growth in Ghana’s agriculture sector. The study found budget allocation, misplaced priorities, lack of technology commercialisation, among others, as some factors responsible for the declining performance in the agriculture sector. The paper concludes with recommendations for the turnaround of the sector and call for further studies into this area of research.Ashesi University Colleg