Ghana’s shea industry is key to the transformation and the development of the youth and women. The industry has been the great source of livelihood, alleviating economic hardship to the people especially women in the northern part of the country.
As a tool to transforming and empowering the women and the youth, the shea sector is projected to evolve into a multi-million-dollar enterprise that would drive rural industrialization and inclusive growth, Dr. Andrew Osei Okrah, the CEO of Tree Crops Development
Authority said during the World Shea Expo Ghana, 2025 at Tamale.
Globally, he revealed, the demand for natural and organic products is rising. Shea butter has become a prized ingredient in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and the food industry. For Ghana, this presents a golden opportunity.
“For Ghana to exploit the market meaningfully, we have to expand into value-added products such as lotions, balms, and confectionery, to position women and youth-led SMEs for access to export markets and to transition from raw exports to industrial processing, thereby increasing domestic earnings and creating employment,” Dr. Osei Okrah advised.
Deriving the merit of the Expo, the CEO said it is a symbol of collective commitment to transforming the shea sector into a cornerstone of economic empowerment, environmental sustainability, and inclusive development.
He acknowledged the women who have preserved this heritage through generations and the rising tide of youth entrepreneurs bringing new energy, innovation, and market vision into the sector.
Reaffirming the theme of the expo “Empowering Women and Youth-led SMEs in the Shea Value Chain,” CEO said upon visiting Yumzaa Shea Butter Processing Centre in Tamale, owned by Madam Zakaria Adams, the industry is the most strategic path to inclusive economic growth. Thus, when women and youth are empowered, it is not merely to build businesses, but to build communities, industries, and sustainable livelihoods.
He commended the Yumzaa Shea Butter Processing Centre for employing over 240 women and produces a range of value-added products from shea. “The facility runs on a 24-hour shift model; an initiative that aligns perfectly with the President H.E John Dramani Mahama’s 24-Hour Economy Agenda, which is anchored on modernization, industrialization and the transformation of the Ghanaian economy to create sustainable jobs nationwide”, he added.
He assures the government’s unwavering support to address the challenges confronting the industry. “The shea sector faces Environmental degradation – including bushfires, tree felling and climate change effects. TCDA’s Agenda 2030 will focus on capacity building and awareness campaigns on the dangers of cutting shea trees. This will be undertaken in collaboration with the Northern Regional Minister, Hon. Alhaji Ali Adolf John, and other stakeholders in the region”.
Limited access to finance particularly for women-led indigenous processors is another major challenge. TCDA is actively engaging financial partners and banks to invest in the shea sector, which has the economic potential of generating over $2 billion annually. Strengthening financial linkages for women and youth-led enterprises.
A major challenge also affecting the shea sector is low productivity due to pickers not picking enough nuts to meet local demand. TCDA key focus is to build the capacity of the pickers with the requisite resource to cover long distance of picking and equip them with innovative technologies to reduce labor and speed up output.
Another TCDA’s strategy to increase productive bring into line the Feed Ghana initiative by the president, is to ensure that a significant percentage of the raw unprocessed shea is reserved for the local industry to scale up production that can create more job opportunities before exporting the remains. This is backed by the TCDA Permit issued on 2nd May 2025, in accordance with Regulation 50 of L.I. 2471.
He called all stakeholders to support the growth of the industry as it has the prospect of transforming generational livelihood of the women and youth in the country.
