Government Launches National Policy on Integrated Oil Palm Development to Boost Agro-Industrial Growth
Minister for Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, has unveiled the National Policy on Integrated Oil Palm Development (2026–2032), a strategic initiative aimed at transforming Ghana’s oil palm sector into a key driver of industrialization, rural prosperity, and foreign exchange earnings.
Presenting the 2026 Budget Statement themed “The Ghana We Want” to Parliament on Thursday, November 13, 2025, Dr Forson described the policy as a “new dawn” for Ghana’s agro-industrial future, drawing on global best practices from countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia while adapting them to the local context.
Ghana, one of the earliest countries in Africa to cultivate oil palm, continues to import nearly 200,000 metric tonnes of crude palm oil annually, costing the nation over US$200 million in foreign exchange. The new policy seeks to reverse this trend by establishing a coordinated national framework to expand sustainable plantations, strengthen local refining and processing, and build competitive value chains that create jobs and ensure food security.
Key objectives of the policy include:
Cultivating 100,000 hectares of new oil palm plantations;
Creating over 250,000 direct and indirect jobs across the value chain;
Achieving self-sufficiency in palm oil production and enhancing export competitiveness; and
Promoting sustainability, gender inclusion, and equitable participation of women and youth.
Dr Forson emphasised that agriculture remains the heartbeat of Ghana’s economy, providing food, employment, and dignity for millions. He highlighted government’s broader agricultural transformation agenda under the Agricultural Transformation Programme, the 24-Hour Economy, and the Accelerated Export Development Programme, which aims to make Ghana’s agriculture modern, mechanised, market-driven, and youth- and women-led.
The Finance Minister added that the government plans to establish agro-industrial enclaves across the country, dynamic hubs where production, processing, and distribution operate around the clock, creating raw materials for industry, reducing imports, and making farming profitable again.
This initiative forms a central pillar of Ghana’s broader economic strategy to build a self-sufficient, export-ready, and industrially vibrant agricultural economy.
