Guinness Ghana and GIZ commit GH₵31.6m to transform Ghana's sorghum value chain

Guinness Ghana PLC and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to invest GH₵31.6 million in modernizing Ghana’s sorghum value chain in Northern Ghana. The initiative aims to strengthen local sourcing, improve climate resilience, and enhance the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in the region.The investment, one of the largest private-sector commitments to agricultural sourcing in northern Ghana, will directly benefit approximately 30,000 smallholder sorghum farmers and 40 aggregators across the Northern, Savannah, Upper West, Upper East, and North-East Regions. It will also support input suppliers, mechanization service providers, and logistics operators to enhance sorghum production for a sustainable supply to Guinness Ghana for the production of Malta Guinness.Under the partnership, beneficiary farmers will receive certified, high-quality sorghum seed to improve productivity and grain quality. The initiative will introduce digital technologies, including weather stations, drones, and traceability systems, to strengthen climate monitoring, improve transparency, and meet international sustainability standards.Additionally, farmers and aggregators will receive training in quality management, post-harvest loss reduction, financial literacy, access to finance, regenerative agriculture, and dynamic agroforestry to improve productivity and climate resilience.Mr. Frederic Feraille, Managing Director of Guinness Ghana PLC, emphasized that local sourcing of raw materials has remained central to the company’s business strategy since launching its Local Raw Material (LRM) agenda in 2012. He stated: “Since we began our Local Raw Material journey in 2012, we have worked to bring more of our supply chain home, creating jobs, building skills, and giving Ghanaian farmers a reliable market for their grain. This partnership with GIZ takes that commitment further, ensuring the sorghum behind Malta Guinness is grown sustainably, traced transparently, and produced by farmers equipped to thrive in a changing climate.”Mr. Wilhelm Hugo, Network for Inclusive Economic Development (NIED) Cluster Coordinator at GIZ, noted that inclusive economic growth depends on connecting smallholder farmers to reliable markets while equipping them with the tools needed to compete. He added that the partnership represents an important investment in climate-smart agriculture and sustainable local supply chains that could create lasting jobs and improve livelihoods in northern Ghana.The collaboration demonstrates a shared commitment by Guinness Ghana and GIZ to sustainable agricultural development and inclusive economic growth, combining private sector investment with development cooperation to strengthen the sorghum value chain, improve livelihoods, and create meaningful opportunities for women and young people across northern Ghana.

Image Source: GHANA BUSINESS NEWS