Mahama secures $100m investment for AI-Powered agriculture, holds talks with UN Secretary-General
Former President John Dramani Mahama has announced a landmark $100 million investment deal to drive Ghana’s agricultural transformation while also holding high-level talks with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on global cooperation, regional security, and Ghana’s economic recovery.
Speaking from Yokohama, Japan, where he is attending the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD-9), Mr. Mahama revealed that Degas Limited, an agri-tech company led by its CEO and founder, Doga Makiura, has committed to investing $100 million in Ghana over the next four years. The move is expected to position Ghana as a continental hub for AI-driven, technology-enabled agriculture.
According to him, Degas has already financed more than 86,000 smallholder farmers across 122,000 acres, achieving a 95% repayment rate while doubling incomes. With its use of AI-powered satellite monitoring and precision agriculture tools, the company seeks to further strengthen value chains from inputs to markets, boost food security, and create more sustainable jobs for Ghanaian youth.
“This investment is a strong vote of confidence in Ghana’s vision for integrated, technology-enabled agriculture and we are ready to deliver,” the former president stated.
On the diplomatic front, Mr. Mahama also engaged in bilateral discussions with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, focusing on global cooperation and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Their talks also covered Ghana’s ongoing economic rebound and the worsening security crisis in the West African sub-region, particularly challenges emanating from the Sahel.
The UN Secretary-General reportedly acknowledged Ghana’s leadership role within ECOWAS and the African Union, especially in efforts to build collective responses to regional instability. Mr. Mahama reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to multilateralism, stressing the urgent need to democratize the UN system to make it more representative and effective.
He further briefed the UN leader on Ghana’s progress with its debt restructuring programme, which he said was advancing steadily toward securing long-term economic stability. Mr. Mahama also expressed appreciation to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for its continued support of Ghana’s recovery efforts.
The twin developments—securing strategic foreign investment in agriculture and deepening Ghana’s engagement with the UN—have been hailed by observers as a boost to both the country’s economic transformation agenda and diplomatic standing on the global stage.
