• Canada-backed project to expand with 15 more boreholes by 2026
• Part of strategy to bring 400,000 hectares under solar irrigation by 2028
• New solar systems to empower women farmers, boost incomes, and cut diesel use

Ghana's Ministry of Food and Agriculture announced on Monday the commissioning of ten new solar-powered boreholes in the northern part of the country to support irrigation and food production.

The project, which was implemented with financial support from the Canadian government, is part of Ghana's "Feed Ghana" government program.

Authorities plan to install an additional 15 boreholes, with work expected to start between December 2025 and February 2026. "These boreholes will ensure reliable access to clean water for irrigation, support all-year-round vegetable production, and em­power women farmers to improve productivity, incomes, and food security in their communities," the Minister of Agriculture said in the statement. The investment cost has not yet been disclosed.

The initiative highlights Ghana's growing reliance on solar energy to enhance its irrigation system. Just two days earlier, Energy Minister John Abdulai Jinapor launched the construction of a 1 MW solar plant in Dawhenya, Greater Accra Region. The plant, financed by the South Korean government with a $5 million investment, is specifically designed to power the local irrigation system.

Energy Minister John Abdulai Jinapor stated that the plant would provide reliable power for irrigation, reduce the community's dependence on costly diesel generators, and ultimately boost rice production and food security in Dawhenya and surrounding areas, according to a report by Ghanaweb.

These two projects are part of a broader national strategy to accelerate the use of solar energy for agriculture. The government aims to bring 400,000 hectares of farmland under solar irrigation by 2028, with plans to install 3,500 solar pumps during that period.

Jinapor explained that the first phase of this larger program involves the deployment of 400 solar pumps in 2026, with the ultimate goal of covering 1 million hectares with solar irrigation by 2030.

Accelerating irrigation development is critical for Ghana to reduce its dependence on rain-fed agriculture, which causes production instability and poses a major challenge to achieving food security. Data compiled by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) indicated that only 3% of Ghana's cultivated land—which totaled nearly 7.4 million hectares that year—was equipped for irrigation in 2022.

Stéphanas Assocle