Ghana’s Abanga Farms & Food Systems and Namibia’s Meatco commence Big partnership

Agricultural-based company, Abanga Farms & Food Systems Limited, has taken delivery of the first consignment of top-quality beef from MEATCO, the Namibian meat producing and exporting company to distribute in Ghana.

At a ceremony on June 29 this year at the Tema Harbour, Chief Executive Officer of Abanga Farms & Food Systems, Thomas Abanga hailed the partnership as forward-looking with the expectation that the benefits that would accrue to both Ghana and Namibia would be immense and long-term.
He called on Africa’s private sector to step up and propel Africa’s development and not rely solely on their governments to lead Africa’s economic emancipation.
He said the problem with Africa’s underdevelopment is not entirely the government’s but also the inability of the private sector to take risks.
“It is the private sector that can propel the economic development of Africa. It is time for the private sector to step up,”
The partnership, he concluded, will strengthen the agriculture sector of both countries, particularly the livestock sub-sector whose true potential remains untapped in Ghana.
Madam Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, the High Commissioner of Namibia to Ghana, called on African countries to increase inter-trade within the continent, still reeling from the impact of Covid-19 and the current Russia-Ukraine war.
She noted that Africans would do well to consume what the continent produces and stop depending on goods and products from outside the continent.
She expressed the hope that the partnership between Meatco and Abanga Farms & Food Systems would expand beyond Ghana and Namibia and move into other African markets.
She indicated her excitement about the partnership because it fell in line with the economic diplomacy and bilateral relations the Namibian government aimed to build with Ghana.
Professor Bani, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Abanga Farms and Food Systems thanked the management of Meatco for partnering with the company to promote inter trade within Africa.
He thanked the High Commissioner and her team for their untiring efforts to get this meat to Ghana and assured that “Abanga Farms and Food Systems will take advantage of the provisions of the Permanent Joint Commission for Cooperation (PJCC) and it Memorandum of Understanding (MOUs) to expand trade and technology transfer between the two countries.
He noted that trade between African Countries had the potential for achieving sustainable economic growth and integration and called on Africans to take advantage of it.
Namibia is a major producer and exporter of beef and beef products like corned beef.
It meets the rigorous requirements of Europe and America and has the certification to operate in the very demanding food industries of those markets. Namibian meat is also, crucially, halal compliant.

BY CLAUDE NYARKO ADAM