The Ghana Private Sector Competitiveness Programme II (GPSCP II) has marked another significant milestone with the successful hosting of its Second Grant Award Signing Ceremony, alongside the official launch of the Third Call for Proposals.
The ceremony was witnessed by Ms. Paula Oberli, Program Manager for Private Sector Development at the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) Headquarters, together with the SECO Ghana team. Their presence reaffirmed Switzerland’s continued commitment to strengthening Ghana’s private sector through targeted and results-driven interventions.
Under this second grant award cycle, ten (10) enterprises operating within the oil palm and cashew value chains have been selected to receive tailored business development and technical support. These enterprises demonstrated strong potential in competitiveness, productivity, sustainability, and market expansion.
The grants form part of GPSCP II’s broader strategy to enhance value addition, improve processing standards, and facilitate access to both domestic and international markets.
Notably, women represent 50% of the grantees, reflecting the programme’s strong emphasis on inclusive growth and gender-responsive private sector development. This milestone underscores the commitment of GPSCP II and its partners to empowering women-led businesses and strengthening female participation across value chains.
With each grant cycle, the programme is laying the foundation for measurable impact within Ghana’s agribusiness ecosystem particularly in the oil palm and cashew sectors, which remain critical to rural employment and industrial growth.
During the ceremony, the Third Call for Proposals (DPP Call 3) was officially launched, opening new opportunities for additional enterprises to benefit from the matching grant facility. The launch signals continued momentum in strengthening Ghana’s private sector competitiveness through strategic partnerships and targeted financial support.
GPSCP II is financed by the Government of Switzerland through the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), in collaboration with key national stakeholders including the Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA) and implemented by NIRAS.
As the programme progresses, it remains focused on building resilient, export-oriented enterprises capable of driving sustainable economic growth and creating decent jobs across Ghana. We congratulate all grantees and look forward to witnessing the transformative impact of their projects on their businesses, their communities, and the Ghanaian economy
The Team Lead of the Ghana Private Sector Competitiveness Program (GPSCP II), Juliana Ofori-Karikari is calling for coordination, governance, and competitiveness to strengthen Ghana’s growing tree crop sector.
The Ghana Private Sector Competitiveness Program II (GPSCP II) is initiated through a bilateral initiative between the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and the Government of Ghana and is being implemented jointly by NIRAS International Consulting and Proforest.
Speaking at a policy development workshop jointly organized by the Business Regulatory Reform Unit of MOTAI and GPSCPII, aimed to collaboratively design a subproject focused on enhancing policy coherence and institutional leadership across these value chains, Team Lead, Juliana Ofori-Karikari said the success of this intervention hinges on the willingness of every institution to embrace radical transparency and collaboration.
“The Tree Crop Sector, particularly cashew and oil palm, is not just an agricultural activity; it is a pillar of our national development. This sector holds immense, untapped potential for driving significant economic growth and generating crucial foreign exchange earnings”, she mentioned.
Charlotte Afudego, the Private Sector Development Specialist from SECO (Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs) reaffirmed the commitment of the Government of Switzerland for its continued financial and technical support toward Ghana’s tree crop agenda, describing SECO’s contribution as vital to building a globally competitive sector.
By building on the achievements of GPSCP Phase I, the second phase (GPSCP II) aims to continuously provide an enabling environment for the cashew and palm oil sectors and contribute to higher private sector productivity and competitiveness by fostering inclusive and sustainable growth.
Participants at the workshop focused on deriving a coordination framework including an Inter-ministerial coordination platform co-chaired by MoFA and MoTAI to align mandates and clarify institutional roles.
The three-day workshop, marks the beginning of a comprehensive process to streamline regulatory functions and build a harmonized governance system for the cashew and oil palm value chains.
OPDAG 2025 Annual General Meeting: Charting a Sustainable Future for Ghana’s Palm Oil Sector
Cape Coast, Ghana — September 26, 2025.
The Organization of Palm Oil Developers’ Association of Ghana (OPDAG) held its 2025 Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the BH Hotel in Cape Coast, bringing together policymakers, processors, farmers, and private sector actors to reimagine the future of Ghana’s palm oil industry. The two-day meeting, sponsored by the Ghana Private Sector Competitiveness Programme (GPSCP II), underscored a unified call for sustainable growth, responsible practices, and deeper collaboration across the palm oil value chain.
The conference served as a critical forum for dialogue at a time when Ghana’s oil palm sector faces rising pressures from illicit imports, low access to finance, and dwindling productivity linked to poor-quality seedlings. Yet, amid these challenges, the AGM also revealed a growing spirit of resilience and reform among industry leaders determined to reposition palm oil as a cornerstone of Ghana’s agro-industrial transformation.
“This meeting marked more than an annual review it was a turning point,” said Mr. Paul Amaning, President of OPDAG. “Our members have moved from identifying problems to designing practical solutions that can sustain livelihoods, protect the environment, and make Ghana’s palm oil globally competitive.”
Participants adopted a series of resolutions focused on financial sustainability, transparency, and quality assurance. A central highlight was the announcement of an OPDAG Development Fund, envisioned as a revolving facility to support farmers and processors with affordable loans for replanting, milling equipment, and value addition. This fund will be complemented by new partnerships with banks and development institutions to unlock credit for small and medium enterprises in the value chain.
Recognizing the sector’s vulnerability to inconsistent seed quality, the AGM approved the establishment of an OPDAG Certified Nursery Program in collaboration with the Oil Palm Research Institute (OPRI). The initiative will certify nurseries, enforce quality standards, and ensure that only high-yielding hybrid Tenera seedlings are distributed to farmers.
Delegates also adopted a comprehensive communication strategy to strengthen OPDAG’s visibility at both the national and zonal levels. This includes digital outreach, local radio engagement, and enhanced farmer training through decentralized workshops.
A persistent concern at the AGM was the infiltration of smuggled foreign palm oils into the domestic market a trend that undermines local processors and drains national revenue. Members called for intensified collaboration with border security agencies and the Ghana Revenue Authority to clamp down on illegal imports and protect local value chains. Plans for a traceability system and public awareness campaigns were also advanced to help consumers identify and support Ghana-made palm oil.
To extend the association’s reach, OPDAG is rolling out a grassroots mobilization strategy that empowers zonal chapters to recruit members, strengthen community partnerships, and facilitate local capacity-building. This bottom-up approach will bring the association closer to smallholders, ensuring their voices shape national advocacy and policy dialogue.
The AGM reaffirmed OPDAG’s evolution into a credible national institution with representation on the Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA) Board. The association’s strategic realignment toward sustainability and inclusive governance mirrors Ghana’s broader agricultural modernization agenda. The 2025–2026 operational budget, conditionally approved during the meeting, directs more funding toward training, sustainability initiatives, and the OPDAG Development Fund.
“The energy in this year’s AGM was remarkable,” noted Frederick Sarpong, the association’s Executive Secretary. “Our members recognize that the future of Ghana’s palm oil sector depends not on technical fixes, but on building institutions that empower farmers, embrace innovation, and defend the integrity of our market.”
As Ghana’s oil palm sector confronts global market volatility and climate pressures, the outcomes of the OPDAG AGM underscore a growing determination to turn challenges into opportunities. With renewed leadership, stronger financial mechanisms, and a deepened partnership with programs like GPSCP II, OPDAG is positioning itself as a linchpin in Ghana’s drive toward a competitive, inclusive, and sustainable palm oil economy.
Accra, September 29, 2025 At the Kempinski Hotel yesterday, Ghana’s policymakers, farmers, processors, academics, and international partners gathered under one roof to confront a pressing question: how can Ghana make its cashew and oil palm sectors globally competitive in an era of tightening trade rules and sustainability demands?
The event, titled the Policy Dialogue on Cashew and Oil Palm Value Chains, was organized under the Ghana Private Sector Competitiveness Program II (GPSCP II), a bilateral initiative of the Government of Ghana and Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). It was held in collaboration with the Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA), the institution mandated to oversee the development of Ghana’s six tree crops of industrial importance.
The theme of the dialogue “Strengthening Governance and Competitiveness in Ghana’s Cashew and Oil Palm Value Chains” reflected the urgency of the challenge. Both crops support hundreds of thousands of smallholder farmers and generate crucial foreign exchange. Cashew alone now brings in over USD 400 million annually, while oil palm remains an indispensable source of food and raw materials for the domestic industry. Yet both sectors remain plagued by familiar constraints: overlapping mandates, weak enforcement of regulations, low farm productivity, chronic underinvestment in processing, and exposure to illegal imports that undermine local markets.
Delivering the keynote address on behalf of the Hon. Eric Opoku, Minister for Food and Agriculture, the Ministry’s Chief Director placed the conversation in stark terms. Ghana, he said, is at an inflection point.
“We are at a crossroads,” he told the audience. “We either strengthen the institutions that govern cashew and oil palm now, or we consign our farmers to being price-takers in a global market where sustainability and compliance increasingly dictate who participates.”
The Minister’s address laid out a candid diagnosis of the problems facing the two value chains. For oil palm, the major hurdles include low on-farm productivity, illegal importation of palm oil and vegetable oils, and weak enforcement of regulatory standards. For cashew, the concerns are somewhat different, high export of raw nuts with little value addition at home, fragmented farmer organizations, and insufficient financing for smallholder production.
He also highlighted that the challenges are not simply technical, but institutional and political. Multiple agencies currently share overlapping authority, from the Ministry of Trade and Industry to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and allied regulatory bodies. This creates inefficiencies, slows decision-making, and undermines investor confidence.
Still, the Minister struck an optimistic note, stressing that reforms are already underway. The government’s strategy, he explained, is to empower the TCDA as the apex regulator with clearer coordination mandates. Investments are being directed toward seed certification, farmer training, and research-to-farm linkages, while new initiatives are exploring opportunities for scaling up processing and value addition.
“Policy must not be developed in silos,” he cautioned. “It must be inclusive, evidence-driven, and harmonized across institutions. Cashew and oil palm are not simply commodities; they are lifelines for our people, and engines for rural transformation.”
If the Minister’s keynote provided the framing, the release of the Policy and Institutional Mapping Report commissioned by GPSCP II and presented by Taylor Crabbe Initiative provided the hard data.
The report’s conclusions were blunt without sweeping reforms, Ghana risks being left behind in a rapidly changing global trade landscape. The European Union’s deforestation regulation (EUDR) will soon require exporters to prove traceability and sustainability, or risk exclusion from the EU market. Meanwhile, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) offers enormous opportunities to position Ghana as a hub for regional trade but only if the country can consolidate its fragmented institutions and strengthen its regulatory regime.
The policy dialogue itself was designed as more than a ceremonial event. It was structured to force difficult conversations.
Breakout sessions were convened around four thematic clusters:
Institutional coordination and regulatory enforcement
Investment and financing for value addition
Sustainability and compliance with international market standards
Farmer livelihoods and competitiveness under AfCFTA
The project provided framing on how to sequence reforms, while the Taylor Crabbe team unpacked the institutional mapping study. The mood, several participants observed, was frank bordering on restless. Everyone in the room seemed to acknowledge that the cashew and oil palm sectors, long touted as potential engines of Ghana’s rural transformation, had been held back by inertia, turf wars, and chronic underinvestment.
By the end of the day, the dialogue had produced a tentative roadmap for reform. Key priorities included:
Streamlining mandates under TCDA to reduce duplication and improve accountability.
Scaling up local processing capacity to reduce dependence on raw exports, especially for cashew.
Strengthening enforcement against illegal imports that undercut domestic oil palm producers.
Mobilizing private investment into processing and value addition through blended finance mechanisms.
Ensuring compliance with sustainability standards to keep Ghanaian products competitive in EU and other premium markets.
Investing in farmer productivity through improved planting materials, training, and accessible finance.
Still, participants acknowledged that the hardest work lies ahead. Reforms agreed to in the halls of Kempinski will need to survive the grind of politics, bureaucratic turf battles, and the day-to-day realities of smallholder farmers.
As the Minister’s representative concluded: “We cannot continue business as usual. The cashew and oil palm sectors are at the heart of Ghana’s agricultural transformation agenda. This dialogue must be the beginning of sustained action to action that strengthens governance, supports our farmers, and positions Ghana as a leader in sustainable and competitive tree crop production.”
For now, the Policy Dialogue has set a marker. With stakeholders from government, industry, and development partners aligned on the urgency of reform, the challenge will be in execution.
The next twelve months will be critical. Delivering on the commitments made will determine whether Ghana can seize the opportunities of AfCFTA, comply with evolving EU regulations, and finally unlock the potential of cashew and oil palm as engines of inclusive growth.
The Kempinski meeting may be remembered as a turning point, the moment when Ghana decided that its farmers, processors, and institutions deserved more than incremental fixes, and that the time had come for bold reform.
