Progress and Financial Hurdles Mark Final Stages of Afram Plains Irrigation Projects

The agricultural landscape of the Kwahu Afram Plains is on the verge of a significant transformation as two major irrigation projects reach their final stages of development. While the Konadu Irrigation Project is slated for commissioning within the next month, the Ekyeamamfrom-Pivot Irrigation Project remains stalled at 90% completion due to outstanding government payments. These initiatives, central to the Afram Plains Economic Enclave Irrigation Project (APEEIP), are designed to move local agriculture away from rain-fed dependence toward year-round commercial production, focusing on cereals, vegetables, and tubers.

The Konadu Irrigation Project, currently 96% complete, represents a major milestone for the region’s infrastructure. According to Project Manager Josh Roche, the facility will cover approximately 900 hectares using a combination of center-pivot and gravity irrigation systems. The project is designed under an anchor-tenant and outgrower model, which aims to integrate smallholder farmers with commercial operators to ensure professional standards and market access. Once operational, the Konadu facility is expected to significantly boost the production of cereals and vegetables, providing a reliable water source that facilitates modern farming techniques and multiple harvests per year.

In contrast, the Ekyeamamfrom-Pivot Irrigation Project faces a critical bottleneck despite being 90% finished. Project Manager Anthony Abubakar has issued an urgent appeal to the government to settle three outstanding payment certificates that have remained unpaid for nearly a year. During a recent site visit by Parliament’s Committee on Food, Agriculture, and Cocoa Affairs, Abubakar explained that the lack of funds is the only remaining barrier to completing the 350-acre facility. He emphasized that with the necessary financial release, the project—which is set to support the cultivation of high-demand crops like potatoes and tomatoes—could be fully operational by the end of the year.

The completion of both projects is vital for the economic stability of the Afram Plains, where local farmers have already expressed readiness to begin production. The stalled progress at Ekyeamamfrom threatens to delay the livelihoods of hundreds of farmers who are waiting to utilize the new infrastructure. As the government prepares to commission the Konadu site, stakeholders and parliamentary representatives are calling for a swift resolution to the payment delays at Ekyeamamfrom to ensure that the massive potential of the Afram Plains as Ghana's breadbasket is fully realized through consistent and modernized irrigation.