The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, has announced two major initiatives aimed at boosting agro-industrialisation, supporting farmers, and strengthening value chains in northern Ghana.

Speaking at the Government Accountability Series in Accra, the minister revealed that government, with support from development partners, is setting up a new soya processing plant in the northern part of the country. The facility will process soybeans into edible oil and soya cake, a key ingredient in poultry feed.

“The capacity of the plant is 40 metric tonnes per day at an estimated cost of $370,000,” Mr. Opoku disclosed, adding that the project will provide a guaranteed market for soybean farmers across northern Ghana.

“I am happy to report that the sod cutting ceremony will be done in early 2026,” he said.

The minister further announced renewed efforts to strengthen the shea value chain, a sector with growing global demand but still facing structural challenges locally.

He confirmed that the PBC Shea Board has been inaugurated and that the PBC Shea Butter Factory, originally established in 2015 by former President John Dramani Mahama but collapsed in 2019, has now been fully revamped.

“We now have a contract to supply shea butter to the Netherlands and other countries,” Mr. Opoku said, describing Ghana’s shea butter as premium on the world market.

To protect and grow the industry, he said government is taking steps to restrict the export of raw shea nuts, allowing local processors to add value domestically and create more jobs.

He emphasised that expanding the shea processing capacity is essential for Ghana to fully benefit from the rising international demand.

“These interventions will not only revitalise rural economies in the north but also deepen Ghana’s agro-processing capacity,” the minister noted.