The government has committed approximately $200 million to expand Ghana’s tree crop sector, with the cashew industry expected to be one of the biggest beneficiaries, Trade, Agribusiness and Industry Minister Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare has announced.
Speaking at the closing gala dinner of the 2026 African Cashew Alliance (ACA) Annual Cashew Conference and Expo in Accra on Thursday, September 17, Ofosu-Adjare said the funding is aimed at increasing production and strengthening Ghana’s cashew value chain.
“The government of Ghana is committing approximately $200 million to tree crop production, of which cashew stands to benefit substantially,” she said.
The Minister called on cashew-producing nations across the continent to view one another as partners rather than competitors in the global market.
“I entreat every delegation in this room from Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Nigeria, Tanzania, Mozambique and beyond to see one another not as competitors for the same export market, but as partners in an Africa cashew industry,” she said. “To our development partners and investors, the door is open. Invest in our processing infrastructure, our grading technology and our certification.”
ACA Conference Returns to Ghana After 13 Years
The 2026 ACA Annual Cashew Conference and Expo was held at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel in Accra from September 15 to 18, under the theme “Sustainable Cashew Supply through Policy, Investment and Partnership.”
It marked Ghana’s first time hosting the flagship event since 2013, bringing together more than 600 stakeholders from across the global cashew value chain. The conference was organised by the ACA in partnership with Ghana’s Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA), under the auspices of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, and in collaboration with the Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, the GIZ/MOVE Project, the European Union, the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States and the Mastercard Foundation.
The Investment: Tree Crop Diversification Project
The $200 million commitment aligns with the Ghana Tree Crop Diversification Project, a World Bank-supported programme relaunched by President John Dramani Mahama in February 2026. Under the programme, 7.8 million cashew seedlings, 2.3 million rubber seedlings and 3.9 million coconut seedlings are being distributed to over 30,000 farmers across the country.
The programme will benefit 52,775 households directly, with 185 small and medium enterprises receiving matching grants to support processing and value addition in the tree crop sector.
President Mahama has directed the TCDA and the Ghana Cocoa Board to expedite implementation, stressing that farmers must see results rather than paperwork. The six priority tree crops — cashew, coconut, oil palm, rubber, mango and shea — together employ over 1.6 million Ghanaians and contribute 2 per cent to Ghana’s GDP and 4.5 per cent to agricultural GDP.
Ghana’s Cashew Sector at a Glance
Ghana is a major producer of raw cashew nuts, with annual output estimated at approximately 250,000 to 262,000 metric tonnes. The sector supports nearly 890,000 people across the value chain.
However, the country captures only a fraction of the value of its production. According to the TCDA, the industry has the potential to generate over $660 million in annual revenue with improved regulation, processing infrastructure and export support.
Despite this potential, local processing remains critically underdeveloped. Less than six per cent of Ghana’s raw cashew output is processed domestically, with the vast majority exported in raw form. The country earned approximately $290 million in export revenue from 232,200 tonnes of raw cashew nuts during the 2024/2025 season.
The Processing Paradox
Ghana’s cashew processing sector faces a paradox: while the country produces substantial volumes of raw cashew nuts, local processors struggle to secure feedstock. Foreign buyers, particularly from Vietnam and India, acquire raw cashew nuts at premiums, leaving domestic facilities operating below capacity.
Local processing facilities report acute raw material shortages, compounded by high energy costs, restricted access to long-term financing and a mandated minimum producer price that sits more than 50 per cent above neighbouring origins.
The Association of Cashew Processors Ghana has warned that local processing infrastructure is nearing failure due to an inability to compete for raw cashew nuts against export buyers.
At least one major processor, Usibras Ghana, has cited persistent challenges — including rising electricity costs, a 15 per cent export duty on cashew products to the United States and difficulty maintaining continuous operations without steady raw material flow — in its decision to consider relocating to Côte d’Ivoire.
The Value Addition Drive
The government has moved decisively to address the processing deficit, with President Mahama declaring in February 2026 that “we will no longer export raw cashew, raw shea, or unprocessed rubber while importing the same finished products at higher prices”.
In a significant step, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture signed a Memorandum of Understanding with B5 Plus Limited in February 2026 for the establishment of a large-scale cashew processing plant under a Build-Operate model. The company will finance, design, construct, equip, own and operate the plant at its own cost and risk.
Cabinet has also approved the establishment of two new cashew factories in the Bono and Bono East regions. In April 2026, MoFA signed a separate MoU with SENTUO Group for a cashew processing plant at Sampa in the Bono Region that will handle both cashew nuts and apples to increase returns across the value chain.
The TCDA is also implementing a traceability system for raw cashew nuts, installing weighing bridges at entry points such as Hamile and the Bondoukou-Sampa entry point to reduce adulteration and improve supply chain transparency.
Production Targets and Yield Improvement
The government has set ambitious production targets for the cashew sector. According to MoFA projections, national raw cashew nut production is expected to reach 442,500 metric tonnes in 2026, rising to 540,000 tonnes in 2027 and 600,000 tonnes in 2028, supported by area expansion and yield improvements from 0.95 metric tonnes per hectare in 2024 to 2.0 metric tonnes per hectare by 2028.
The national demand for value addition is projected to grow from 65,000 metric tonnes in 2024 to 300,000 metric tonnes by 2028, reflecting the government’s push to increase local processing to 50 to 60 per cent of total output annually.
Regional Cooperation and Investment Opportunities
The Minister’s call for regional cooperation comes as Africa’s cashew-producing nations, including Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Nigeria, Tanzania and Mozambique, continue to compete for the same export markets while collectively exporting the majority of their raw cashew nuts without processing.
The ACA conference provided a strategic platform for Ghana to showcase investment opportunities beyond the traditional export of raw nuts. The TCDA has highlighted the potential of cashew apples as a commercial product for juice, beverages and other processed goods, creating additional revenue streams for investors.
Policy options under consideration include a possible export tax on raw cashew nuts of between 5 and 10 per cent of the free-on-board value and the creation of a structured export window to encourage investment in domestic processing.
The Minister praised the TCDA and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture for facilitating discussions on industry challenges and opportunities, underscoring the government’s commitment to transforming the cashew sector from a raw material exporter to a value-added industrial powerhouse.
