Ghana aims to raise $600 million for underutilized tree crops
Ghana is seeking to diversify beyond its cocoa dominance. From February 17-20, 2026, the Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA) is hosting the inaugural Ghana Tree Crop Investment Summit (GTCIS) in Accra, targeting $600 million in commitments for six strategic but underutilized sectors.
The goal is clear: raise $100 million per sector for cashew, oil palm, rubber, coconut, shea, and mango. These tree crops, while increasingly important to Ghana’s external trade, have yet to reach their full potential.
Under the theme “Sustainable Growth through Tree Crop Investments: Resetting and Building Ghana’s Green Economy,” the summit expects over 6,000 participants, including institutional investors, development finance institutions, agro-industrial operators, and policymakers from Africa and beyond.
The stakes extend beyond financial mobilization. These investments aim to support local processing expansion, improve producer incomes, and reduce raw material export dependency; a strategic shift for a country seeking to capture more value from its own resources.
“Ghana’s tree crop sector represents one of our most promising opportunities for inclusive economic growth and industrial transformation,” said TCDA CEO Andy Osei Okrah.
In August 2025, the TCDA estimated each targeted crop could generate up to $2 billion in annual export revenue by 2030 with adequate investment.
Currently, cashew exports; Ghana’s second-largest agricultural export; earned just $237 million in 2024.
Recent initiatives include plans to double coconut acreage to 180,000 hectares by 2028, a shea industrial hub under construction in Wa, and a $500 million financing facility for oil palm investments.
