The Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA) has warned that cutting down shea trees is a criminal offense, punishable by law. According to Act 1010 of 2019, anyone found guilty of indiscriminately felling shea trees can face a penalty of not less than 200 penalty units or a summary conviction of two years in jail.
The TCDA with the mandate to regulate and develop the production, processing, and trading of six key tree crops namely, cashew, rubber, coconut, oil palm, shea and mango is working to regulate the shea industry, ensuring that women involved in the sector earn a decent living.
To achieve this, the authority is encouraging stakeholders in the shea value chain to register with TCDA as require by law. The move aims to ensure that every shea nut picked in the bush is processed, rather than exported raw.
The Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA) clarified that the country is working towards a zero-export policy for raw shea nuts. However, Mr. Alhassan Sumaila, a representative of TCDA in the local organizing committee, emphasized that the authority and the government have not yet concluded on a ban on shea nut exports by 2026, contrary to some media reports.
Mr. Sumaila acknowledged that regulating an industry that has been unregulated for a long time can be challenging. Nevertheless, the TCDA is working to ensure that the shea sector is properly regulated.
“An industry that is not regulated for a very long time is very difficult to regulate,” Mr. Sumaila admitted.
To achieve this, the authority is encouraging all value chain actors in the shea sector to register and obtain licenses. This will enable TCDA to track and monitor the activities of stakeholders in the industry.
The TCDA wants to ensure that every shea nut picked in the country is processed locally, rather than exported raw. This move aims to promote value addition and create economic benefits for stakeholders in the shea industry.
The 2nd World Shea Expo is scheduled to take place at Modern City Hotel in Tamale, with over 80,000 participants expected from across the shea value chain. The three-day event aims to connect about 150 businesses and will focus on empowering women and youth-led SMEs in the shea value chain.
The 2025 world expo is in collaboration with Savannah Golden Tree Limited, NDA, GEPA, TCDA, GEA, Cocoabod and Northern reginal coordinating council among others.
