The government is pushing for a major shift in Ghana’s shea industry from the export of raw materials to local processing, branding and manufacturing in a bid to keep more jobs and wealth within the country.
Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang said Ghana could no longer afford to export raw shea while importing finished products derived from the commodity.
She said the country must invest more aggressively in processing, technology, innovation, product development, certification, branding and access to international markets to unlock the full economic potential of the shea industry.
The Vice President made the call on Tuesday at the opening of the 2026 World Shea Expo at the Modern City Hotel in Tamale.
The three-day expo, held under the theme “From Local Commodity to Global Brand: Accelerating Women and Youth-Led Value Addition in Shea,” has brought together producers, processors, aggregators, traders, investors, researchers, international buyers, government agencies and development partners.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang said greater value must be retained within Ghana, particularly by the women and communities that have sustained the shea industry for generations.
She identified access to finance, modern technology, skills and markets as critical constraints that must be addressed if women-led businesses are to move from small-scale processing into commercially competitive enterprises.
She also announced government’s commitment to establishing a Women’s Bank to provide dedicated financing for women entrepreneurs, including those operating in shea, agriculture and manufacturing.
According to the Vice President, expanding access to affordable and sustainable financing would enable more women to invest in value addition and grow their businesses.
The government is also seeking to bring more young people into the industry through innovation, research, technology, digital marketing, manufacturing and entrepreneurship.
Northern Regional Minister Adolf Ali John said the region’s position at the heart of Ghana’s shea-producing belt made the transformation of the industry particularly important to northern communities.
He said despite the sector’s enormous economic potential, producers and processors were still capturing only a fraction of the value generated from shea.
He therefore called for stronger investment in processing, product development, branding and international market access.
The Minister said deliberate efforts were needed to connect young people and women to finance, technology, skills and business development opportunities so that the shea sector could become a major source of decent employment.
He also called for stronger collaboration between government, the private sector, financial institutions, researchers and development partners to unlock investment across the value chain.
Ahead of the expo, Professor Opoku-Agyemang visited Nuts for Growth Limited, a woman-led shea enterprise working with thousands of women across the value chain, where she toured its laboratories and processing facilities.
She also participated in a symbolic shea tree planting exercise at Futa in the Northern Region as part of efforts to promote the cultivation and regeneration of shea trees.
The World Shea Expo continues in Tamale until Thursday, September 17.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
