Ghana has secured a transformative $100 million investment to establish the country as an artificial intelligence-powered agricultural hub, President John Dramani Mahama announced from Yokohama, Japan, where he is attending the ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9).
The substantial investment commitment came from Doga Makiura, chief executive and founder of Degas Limited, during a high-level meeting on the sidelines of the three-day conference.
The funding, to be deployed over the next four years, represents a significant boost to Ghana’s agricultural transformation ambitions.
President Mahama took to his social media page to highlight the proven track record of Degas Limited, noting that the company has already provided financing to more than 86,000 smallholder farmers across 122,000 acres, successfully doubling their incomes whilst maintaining an impressive 95 per cent repayment rate.
The new investment will leverage AI-driven satellite monitoring and precision agriculture technologies to strengthen agricultural value chains from inputs to markets.
“Ghana has secured a major boost for our agricultural transformation. I met with Doga Makiura, CEO and founder of Degas Limited, here in Yokohama, who announced a $100 million investment over the next four years to help establish Ghana as an AI-powered agricultural hub,” Mahama said.
“Degas has already financed more than 86,000 smallholder farmers across 122,000 acres, doubling incomes with a 95% repayment rate. With AI-driven satellite monitoring and precision agriculture, we will strengthen value chains from inputs to markets, improve food security, and create more jobs for our youth.
“This is a strong vote of confidence in Ghana’s vision for integrated, technology-enabled agriculture—and we are ready to deliver.”
TICAD 9, which officially opened on Wednesday, 20th August, is taking place in Yokohama from 20th to 22nd August 2025, bringing together African leaders and international partners to discuss innovative solutions for the continent’s development challenges.
On Thursday, President Mahama co-chaired the second plenary session themed “Economy: Co-create Innovative Solutions with Africa” alongside former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. The session also featured interventions from Kenyan President William Ruto, Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The conference comes at a crucial time as Japan positions itself as an alternative partner to China for African development, particularly as the continent grapples with a debt crisis exacerbated by Western aid reductions, ongoing conflicts, and climate change impacts.
TICAD 9 has attracted significant representation from across the continent, with 34 African and other world leaders in attendance. Notable participants include Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Kenyan President William Ruto, Comoros President Azali Assoumani, and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. Angolan President João Lourenço is co-chairing the overall conference alongside Japanese leadership.
The agricultural investment aligns with Ghana’s broader economic reset agenda, with President Mahama using the hashtags #FeedGhana and #ResettingGhana to underscore the initiative’s importance to his administration’s development strategy. The focus on youth employment through agricultural innovation addresses one of Ghana’s key demographic challenges whilst positioning the country at the forefront of agricultural technology adoption in West Africa.
The commitment from Degas Limited represents a significant private sector endorsement of Ghana’s agricultural potential and technological readiness. The integration of artificial intelligence and satellite monitoring technologies promises to revolutionise farming practices, potentially serving as a model for other African nations seeking to modernise their agricultural sectors.
