Dr. Peter Boamah Otokunor addressing the gathering
The 2nd World Shea Expo 2025 organised by Presidential Initiatives in Agriculture and Agribusiness in partnership with the Savannah Golden Tree Ltd., the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), Ghana Exim Bank, COCOBOD, Tree Crop Development Authority (TCDA), GEA, NDA and COCOSHE, has been held in Tamale, the Northern Region.
This year’s Expo themed, “Empowering Women and Youth-Led SMEs in the Shea Value Chain: The Role of Government and Financial Institutions,” brought together over 8,000 participants representing women cooperatives, youth-led businesses, processors, exporters, international buyers, financial institutions, development agencies, traditional authorities, and the media.
The event also include exhibitions, panel discussions, investment forums, policy dialogues, training workshops, and field visits designed to unlock new opportunities in the value chain.
Director for Presidential Initiatives in Agriculture and Agribusiness, Dr. Peter Boamah Otokunor, said over one million women and young people are involved across the shea value chain yet, too many remain excluded from meaningful economic returns due to limited access to finance, weak infrastructure, and inadequate policy support.
According to him, the global market for shea is projected to exceed $3 billion by 2030 and that Ghana has the capacity, the expertise, and the entrepreneurial energy to capture a far greater share if the country acts decisively.
“This government is not only supportive, we are driving policy, making investment, and delivering results. One of our flagship commitments is the full revival of the Buipe Shea Processing Factory established by President John Mahama in 2012,” he said.
Mr. Otokunor, noted that when the factory is fully operational, it will have the capacity to process over 60,000 metric tonnes of shea nuts annually and can peak at 180,000MT of shea nuts under a 24hr operation.
“It can create between 300 – 1000 direct jobs and more than 10,000 indirect jobs and provide an anchor for a network of smallholder cooperatives across five regions of the north,” he said.
The Deputy Chief of Staff, Nana Oye Bampoe Addo on behalf of President Mahama, presented 20,000 sets of PPEs to women cooperatives and shea collectors from across the five regions of the north.
FROM Eric Kombat, Tamale