USAID's Feed the Future programme in Ghana was suspended in 2025 and has not been reinstated. Here is what actually happened, and the active funding routes Ghanaian agribusinesses should pursue in 2026.
This article previously described the USAID Feed the Future Market Systems and Resilience (MSR) Activity as an active grant window. It is not. USAID funding to Ghana, including MSR, was suspended in January 2025 and has not been restored. We have rewritten this article to reflect the current situation accurately and to point you toward funding routes that remain genuinely active.
In January 2025, the United States government abruptly suspended USAID funding to Ghana and dozens of other countries. This was part of a much larger action — Congress was informed that 5,341 USAID programmes were terminated, roughly 86% of the agency's entire former portfolio, with only a small number of programmes classified as "life-saving" retained.
Feed the Future did not fall into the protected category. The Feed the Future Ghana Market Systems and Resilience (MSR) Activity — a five-year, roughly $35.9–37.8 million programme implemented by ACDI/VOCA to support smallholder farmers and agribusinesses across Northern Ghana — lost its funding pipeline along with the rest of USAID's Ghana portfolio. The related Ghana Trade and Investment Activity was affected in the same way.
The research side of Feed the Future was hit just as hard. All but one of the 17 Feed the Future Innovation Labs — university-run research centres that had backed agricultural work in Ghana and other countries — were officially cancelled. Field research already underway in Ghana, including trials on indigenous vegetables, was halted overnight when termination notices went out in February 2025.
Not as of the most recent reporting. As of February 2026, researchers and implementing partners who lost USAID funding have largely moved on to build independent successor initiatives rather than wait for the programme to be restored. There is no indication from USAID or the Ghanaian government that MSR or the broader Feed the Future portfolio will be reinstated.
President Mahama noted in mid-2026 that Ghana lost an estimated $78 million from the closure of USAID programmes across sectors, with humanitarian assistance globally down by roughly 40%.
If you run an agribusiness, cooperative, or NGO in Ghana and are looking for grant funding, USAID and Feed the Future are not currently a viable route. Do not build a funding strategy around them. The funders below remain genuinely active and are where we now direct our Funding-Ready Pack clients.
The Ghana Agriculture Sector Investment Programme (GASIP), funded by IFAD and channelled through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), continues to operate. It offers sub-grants to farmer-based organisations, cooperatives, and agribusiness SMEs, with a strong focus on smallholder value chain development in Northern Ghana. Co-financing is typically required, and women must represent a minimum share of direct beneficiaries.
The African Development Bank's AFT Fund provides grants of $50,000 to $1.5 million to prepare larger agribusiness investments — feasibility studies, environmental assessments, and financial modelling — for projects valued at $1 million or more. Ghana has a track record with this fund, and it remains open to new applications through the AfDB Ghana Country Office.
GIZ's ABF Matching Grant Fund supports private sector-led agribusiness projects across ECOWAS countries including Ghana, with a particular focus on cashew, maize, and livestock value chains. It requires co-financing from the applicant but has a shorter, more predictable call cycle than the DFI alternatives.
"The funding landscape has genuinely shifted. Agribusinesses that built plans around USAID need to redirect that effort — the opportunity has not disappeared, it has moved to IFAD, AfDB, and GIZ."
At AgriValue Advisory Consult, our Funding-Ready Pack™ service prepares agribusinesses, cooperatives, and NGOs for grant applications to IFAD/MOFA, AfDB, and GIZ — the funders that are genuinely active in Ghana right now. We handle eligibility screening, narrative development, budget preparation, and submission coordination.
We offer a free 30-minute eligibility assessment to identify the right funding route for your agribusiness — based on your value chain, geography, and organisational stage.
WhatsApp +233 542 773 711 Call +233 542 773 711We work with farms, cooperatives, agro-processors, and NGOs across Ghana and West Africa to improve performance, access funding, and connect to markets.
Practical knowledge for agribusinesses, cooperatives, and NGOs navigating Ghana's agricultural sector.