Vice President calls for Transformation of Ghana’s Shea Industry into Global Brand
Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has called for concerted efforts to transform Ghana’s shea industry from a largely raw-material sector into a globally competitive, value-added industry capable of creating jobs, increasing incomes and improving livelihoods.
She said the shea sector presented significant opportunities for economic transformation, particularly for women and young people in northern Ghana, and urged stakeholders to intensify investments in processing, technology, innovation, branding, market access and sustainable production.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang made the call when she delivered the keynote address at the 3rd edition of the World Shea Expo held at the Modern City Hotel in Tamale on Tuesday, September 15, 2026.
The Expo, held under the theme, “From Local Commodity to Global Brand: Accelerating Women and Youth-Led Value Addition in Shea,” brought together policymakers, traditional leaders, MMDCEs, producers, women’s groups, youth entrepreneurs, investors, development partners, researchers and international buyers.
The Vice President said Ghana could no longer afford to focus predominantly on the export of raw shea when substantial economic opportunities existed in processing, product development, packaging, certification, branding and international marketing.
She stressed the need to retain a greater proportion of the value generated from Ghana’s shea resources within the country while ensuring that communities and people who had sustained the industry benefited meaningfully from its expansion.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang particularly highlighted the central role of women in the shea value chain, noting their involvement in the collection, processing and trading of shea.
She called for improved access to finance, modern technology, skills development and markets to enable women to expand their businesses and move from small-scale activities into commercially viable enterprises.
The Vice President also announced the government’s commitment to establishing a Women’s Bank, which she said would provide dedicated financial support to women entrepreneurs and businesses.
According to her, improved access to affordable and sustainable financing would enable women to expand their businesses, invest in value addition and participate more effectively in sectors including shea, agriculture and manufacturing.
She further called for greater opportunities for young people to participate in the shea industry through innovation, research, technology, digital marketing, manufacturing and entrepreneurship.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang said deliberate efforts were needed to connect young people to finance, skills and markets so they could become active participants in the transformation of the sector.
Ahead of the Expo, the Vice President participated in a symbolic shea tree planting exercise at Futa in the Northern Region, where a demonstration farm has been established to promote the cultivation of grafted shea seedlings.
The initiative is intended to encourage the deliberate cultivation and regeneration of shea trees, with grafted varieties capable of producing earlier than traditionally grown shea trees.
The exercise also highlighted the need to protect Ghana’s shea parklands and ensure the sustainability of the resource for future generations.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang’s participation in the World Shea Expo underscored the government’s stated interest in positioning shea as an important component of Ghana’s agricultural and industrial transformation agenda.
