Ghana’s vice president opens shea exhibition in Tamale — MyJoyOnline
Ghana’s Vice President Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang opened the three-day World Shea Expo 2026 in Tamale, calling on participants to strengthen partnerships, attract investment and develop shea nut processing. The event is dedicated to increasing added value in the sector, developing brands and expanding product access to international markets, MyJoyOnline reports.
Investment and processing
The expo’s theme is the transition from local raw materials to a global brand through accelerated production of value-added products involving women and young people. About 7,000 representatives of women’s cooperatives, youth enterprises, processors, exporters, international buyers, financial institutions, researchers and authorities are taking part.
The program includes exhibitions, panel discussions, investment forums, policy discussions, training events, field visits and business meetings. Organizers expect that the opportunities created during the expo will contribute to exports worth nearly $10 million.
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According to figures presented at the event, Ghana produces between 130,000 and 150,000 tonnes of shea nuts annually, worth about $350 million. Exports of unprocessed nuts generated $177 million in non-traditional agricultural revenue for the country. In 2025, Ghana ranked first in the world for shea butter exports.
Participation of women and youth
More than one million women and young people are involved in the country’s shea production chain, from collection and processing to product development and marketing. The vice president said they should receive a fair share of the value created, and women should be able to move from collecting nuts to assembling commercial batches, processing, manufacturing, exporting and owning stakes in companies, brands and distribution networks.
Peter Boamah Otokunor, director of presidential initiatives in agriculture and agribusiness, reported on the restoration of a shea processing factory in Buipe. Once fully operational, the enterprise will be able to process more than 60,000 tonnes of nuts annually and, with round-the-clock operations, up to 180,000 tonnes, he said. He also noted that researchers have developed a hybrid shea variety that can reach maturity in three years, while the wild variety requires from 20 to 30 years.
