Ghana’s Ministry of Food and Agriculture has signed an agreement with agribusiness firm AAK Ghana Limited aimed at increasing local processing and value addition in the country’s shea industry.
The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed in Accra by the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, and AAK West Africa vice-president Lasse Skaksen, with the Danish ambassador to Ghana present at the ceremony.
The deal is expected to strengthen Ghana’s position in the global shea market, which provides income for hundreds of thousands of women, particularly in the country’s northern regions.
Under the agreement, AAK will expand its Kolo Nafaso sourcing programme to include an additional 70,000 women shea collectors, raising the total number of beneficiaries to more than 300,000.
The programme provides women with training, access to finance and guaranteed markets for their produce.
Investments are also planned in logistics, warehousing and supply-chain infrastructure.
The MoU also includes plans to establish an innovation and training academy to support skills development, small businesses and youth employment within the shea and plant-based oils sector.
AAK has announced plans to invest in local shea processing facilities, a move expected to create more than 100 jobs and increase the amount of shea products processed within Ghana.
Environmental sustainability is another focus of the agreement, with commitments to shea tree regeneration and parkland conservation to protect long-term supply.
The government says the partnership supports its wider agricultural and industrialisation strategy, which aims to expand agro-processing, boost exports and create jobs.
