Mahama to Foreign Cashew Traders: Build Factories in Ghana or Exit the Market
President John Dramani Mahama has delivered a strong message to foreign companies exporting Ghana’s raw cashew nuts: invest in local processing or leave the country’s market.
Speaking at the inaugural Ghana Tree Crops Investment Summit and Exhibition at the Accra International Conference Centre on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, the President declared that Ghana will no longer rely on exporting unprocessed agricultural commodities.
“We will no longer export raw cashew,” Mahama said. “I invite our investment partners who export cashews to come and build the capacity to process our cashew locally.”
Push to End Raw Commodity Exports
The directive applies not only to cashew but also to shea and rubber. The President outlined a national target of processing between 50% and 60% of these commodities domestically each year.
To achieve this, the government plans to:
- Develop agro-industrial parks
- Provide fiscal incentives for private processors
- Strengthen regulatory oversight through the Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA)
The administration’s broader goal is to move Ghana away from what Mahama described as a long-standing colonial-era model of exporting raw materials while other countries capture the higher value from processing and manufacturing.
Personal Stake in Agricultural Policy
In a candid moment, Mahama revealed that he is personally involved in agriculture as a cocoa and oil palm farmer, saying government pricing decisions directly affect him.
His comments come after the farmgate price of cocoa was reduced from GH¢3,625 to GH¢2,587 per bag following international market adjustments.
“When the price is reduced by the government, it affects me too,” he said, emphasizing the need for policies that consider the real impact on farmers.
Cocoa: “Not an Accolade”
The President also challenged Ghana’s pride in being Africa’s largest exporter of raw cocoa beans.
Referencing colonial-era governor Gordon Guggisberg, Mahama argued that exporting raw cocoa for decades is not an achievement worth celebrating.
“We should take pride in being the leading exporter of manufactured cocoa products,” he said.
His remarks signal a renewed focus on domestic value addition in the cocoa sector.
$600 Million Investment Target
The summit, organized by the TCDA with support from the World Bank, aims to mobilize $100 million in investment commitments for each of six strategic tree crop value chains:
- Cashew
- Oil palm
- Rubber
- Coconut
- Shea
- Mango
That brings the total target to $600 million.
According to projections from the TCDA, each value chain could generate up to $2 billion in annual export earnings by 2030 if sufficient processing capacity is established.
Call to Traditional Leaders and Public Officials
Mahama also urged traditional authorities to release land for responsible agricultural expansion, citing customary land tenure as a major structural barrier to scaling tree crop production.
He further challenged public officials and religious leaders to lead by example by investing directly in farming.
“We can’t just always talk and say people should go back to the land when you yourself are not going back to the land,” he said.
Invoking an Akan proverb, he concluded:
“When you climb a good tree, that is when you are supported. Today, Ghana is climbing a good tree — the tree crop sector.”
The summit runs through February 20, with subsequent sessions focused on investor engagement across the remaining value chains.
