Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has opened the World Shea Expo 2026 in Tamale, calling for stronger partnerships, increased investment and greater value addition to unlock the full potential of Ghana’s shea industry.
The three-day event, which opened on Tuesday, is focused on promoting investment, innovation, shea processing, branding and market access while positioning Ghana to benefit more from the rapidly expanding global shea market.
The expo is being held under the theme, “From Local Commodity to Global Brand: Accelerating Women and Youth-led Value Addition in Shea.”
World Shea Expo 2026 Brings Key Shea Industry Players Together
The World Shea Expo 2026 is being organised by the Office of the Presidential Initiatives in Agriculture and Agribusiness (PIAA) at the Office of the President, in partnership with Savannah Golden Tree Limited, the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), Ghana EXIM Bank, the Tree Crop Development Authority, Ghana Commodity Exchange, Ghana Enterprises Agency, Northern Development Authority and the Coalition of Shea Industry Associations.
An estimated 7,000 participants are attending the expo, including women’s cooperatives, youth-led businesses, shea processors, exporters, international buyers, financial institutions, development agencies, traditional authorities, researchers, entrepreneurs and media organisations.
The event features shea industry exhibitions, panel discussions, investment forums, policy dialogues, training workshops and field visits.
It also provides opportunities for business-to-business engagements and investment partnerships, with transactions and export opportunities expected to generate close to US$10 million.
Ghana’s Shea Industry Has Significant Economic Potential
Addressing participants, Vice President Opoku-Agyemang said the expo provides an opportunity to recognise the importance of the shea tree while developing a more inclusive and prosperous industry around it.
Ghana currently produces an estimated 130,000 to 150,000 metric tonnes of shea nuts annually, with the sector’s value estimated at about US$350 million, compared with US$118 million in 2023.
Unprocessed shea nut exports also contributed approximately US$177 million to Ghana’s non-traditional agricultural export earnings.
Ghana was ranked the world’s leading exporter of shea butter in 2025, while the country has the potential to increase annual shea production to about 400,000 metric tonnes, with an estimated value of US$640 million.
According to information presented at the expo, achieving this potential would require investment in modern shea processing facilities, mechanised harvesting, cold storage and all-season logistics.
The global shea market is projected to surpass US$3 billion by 2030, creating opportunities for Ghanaian businesses to expand their presence in international markets.
More Than One Million Women and Youth Involved in Shea Value Chain
More than one million women and young people are involved in Ghana’s shea value chain, covering activities such as harvesting, processing, product development and marketing.
However, many participants continue to receive limited economic returns because of challenges including inadequate access to finance, weak infrastructure, fragmented markets and insufficient policy support.
The Vice President stressed the importance of ensuring that women receive a fair share of the economic value generated by the shea industry.
She encouraged stakeholders to help women move beyond the collection of shea nuts into aggregation, processing, manufacturing and exports, while also creating opportunities for them to acquire ownership stakes in companies, brands and distribution networks.
Government Programmes to Support Shea Industry
Professor Opoku-Agyemang said government initiatives such as the Feed Ghana Programme and Farmer Service Centres are helping farmers and businesses gain access to machinery, technology, technical assistance, storage facilities and markets.
She urged participants to use the World Shea Expo to develop business partnerships, financing arrangements, research collaborations and investment proposals capable of transforming Ghana’s shea industry.
She also highlighted the planned Women’s Development Bank, which is expected to provide financial support to women, including entrepreneurs requiring relatively small amounts of capital to establish and expand businesses.
Buipe Shea Processing Factory Revived
Dr Peter Boamah Otokunor, Director of Presidential Initiatives in Agriculture and Agribusiness, described the expo as a renewed commitment to making the shea industry a driver of inclusive economic growth, women and youth empowerment and global competitiveness.
He disclosed that the government had revived the Buipe Shea Processing Factory, which was established in 2012.
When fully operational, the factory is expected to process more than 60,000 metric tonnes of shea nuts annually, with its capacity potentially rising to 180,000 metric tonnes under 24-hour operations.
The facility could create between 300 and 1,000 direct jobs and more than 10,000 indirect jobs, while supporting smallholder cooperatives across the five northern regions.
Woman-Led Shea Processing Facility Expands Capacity
Dr Otokunor also highlighted Nuts 4 Growth Limited, a private-sector, woman-led shea processing company located at Duyin in Tamale.
The facility has a reported processing capacity of 300 metric tonnes per day and an annual production capacity of approximately 90,000 metric tonnes.
He further announced that the John Mahama Shea Demonstration Farm, established on 30 acres in Tamale, will serve as a research and development facility, heritage site and potential hub for shea tourism.
A Technical Management Committee has been established to oversee the demonstration farm, with the West African Centre for Shea Innovation and Research at the University for Development Studies hosting the committee.
New Shea Variety Could Reduce Maturity Period
Dr Otokunor said researchers at the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana have developed a hybrid shea variety capable of maturing in approximately three years, compared with between 20 and 30 years for the traditional wild shea variety.
The development could have implications for the long-term expansion of Ghana’s shea production and efforts to establish more productive shea plantations.
He also disclosed that more than 20,000 sets of personal protective equipment had been distributed to women’s cooperatives and shea collectors across the five northern regions with support from GEPA and Ghana EXIM Bank.
Government, he said, would continue working to develop and enforce national standards for shea kernels and shea butter to enable Ghanaian products to meet premium market requirements in Europe, North America and Asia.
Northern Region Targets Shea-Led Economic Growth
Northern Regional Minister Ali Adolf John said the shea sector has significant potential to support rural transformation, job creation, women’s economic empowerment and export growth.
He called for a shift away from exporting largely raw shea commodities towards value addition, processing, product development, branding and international market access.
According to him, expanding value addition within Ghana’s shea industry could help generate additional foreign exchange and create more economic opportunities in rural communities.
Investment in Women’s Safety and Shea Production
Alhaji Imoro Issifu Alhassan, Chairman of Savannah Golden Tree Limited, said the distribution of protective equipment had improved safety for women involved in collecting shea nuts.
He noted that the company had not recorded any snakebite incident among women involved in shea nut collection during the year.
He called for continued investment in protective equipment, women’s cooperatives and other support systems to increase shea nut production and provide adequate raw materials for processing factories and other businesses.
Stakeholders at the World Shea Expo 2026 have therefore been encouraged to sustain efforts to empower women, support young entrepreneurs and strengthen Ghana’s shea value chain as the country seeks to increase its share of the global shea market.
Source: newsthemegh.com