The Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA) is intensifying efforts to promote value addition across Ghana’s cashew, shea and rubber industries as part of a broader strategy to accelerate industrialisation, create jobs and increase export earnings.
This was highlighted during a strategic engagement between the Chief Executive Officer of the TCDA, Dr Andy Osei Okrah, and a delegation from the Oxford Economic Policy Network (EPN), accompanied by representatives of the Government’s 24-Hour Economy Secretariat.
The meeting focused on unlocking investment opportunities within Ghana’s tree crops sector and strengthening collaboration to enhance value addition along the various commodity value chains.
Addressing the delegation, Dr Osei Okrah outlined the authority’s mandate, ongoing interventions and policy initiatives aimed at transforming the sector into a major driver of economic growth.
A significant portion of the discussions centred on the cashew industry, where the TCDA is seeking to promote the commercial utilisation of the cashew apple, a resource that remains largely underutilised despite its enormous economic value.
According to Dr Osei Okrah, developing industries around cashew apple processing could create new revenue streams for farmers and investors while reducing post-harvest losses.
He explained that the authority’s vision aligns with the Government’s Agriculture for Economic Transformation (AET) agenda, which seeks to leverage agriculture as a catalyst for industrial development and sustainable economic growth.
The meeting also explored opportunities in the shea sector, with emphasis on increasing local processing and reducing dependence on the export of raw shea nuts and other unprocessed products.
Dr Osei Okrah noted that expanding domestic processing capacity would help retain more value within the country, improve incomes for women engaged in the shea value chain and enhance Ghana’s competitiveness in international markets.
He stressed that value addition remained critical to maximising the economic benefits of Ghana’s natural resources while supporting employment creation across rural communities.
On the rubber industry, the TCDA outlined government plans to significantly increase production by 2030 through the rehabilitation of degraded lands, distribution of improved planting materials and enhanced capacity-building programmes for farmers and value chain actors.
The initiative, according to the authority, forms part of efforts to strengthen Ghana’s position in the global rubber market and attract investment into downstream processing industries.
Dr Osei Okrah said sustained investment in productivity and processing infrastructure would be essential to achieving the sector’s long-term growth objectives.
The Oxford EPN delegation commended the TCDA for its proactive regulatory measures aimed at improving transparency, accountability and competitiveness within the tree crops sector.
The delegation particularly lauded interventions such as the registration and licensing of value chain actors, the implementation of minimum producer pricing mechanisms and enforcement actions designed to ensure compliance with industry standards.
The engagement is expected to deepen collaboration between policymakers, development partners and investors as Ghana pursues a more value-driven and industrialised tree crops sector capable of contributing significantly to national economic transformation.
