President John Dramani Mahama has officially launched the Upper West Shea Park Resource Hub, describing it as a transformative policy intervention aimed at empowering women, creating jobs, and repositioning Ghana’s shea industry from raw extraction to full-scale value addition.
Speaking at the Palace of the Overlord of the Wala State, the Wainaa, in Wa, President Mahama said the project represents a deliberate effort by his government to ensure inclusive development and unlock regional economic strengths under the national reset agenda.
“Today’s launch is not a ceremonial event. It is a deliberate policy choice.
It reflects our determination as a government to reset Ghana’s development trajectory by investing in our people and ensuring that no part of our country is left behind,” the President stated.
He noted that the Shea Park Resource Hub aligns with key national priorities, including the Reset Agenda, The Big Push, and the 24-hour economy initiative, adding that development must grow from the regions outward rather than from the centre alone.
The President highlighted the cultural, economic, and ecological importance of shea trees in the savannah belt, stressing that despite Ghana being one of the world’s leading producers of shea nuts, women—who form the backbone of the industry—have remained at the lowest end of the value chain.
“For generations, women have sustained households and communities through shea picking and processing. Yet they have remained trapped in poverty while the real value of the shea chain is created elsewhere,” he said.
President Mahama welcomed a call by the Wa Naa for the protection of shea trees, jokingly appealing to charcoal producers not to include shea trees in their activities.
“When you are selecting trees for charcoal burning, don’t add shea nut trees to it,” he said, drawing laughter from the audience.
He explained that the Shea Park Resource Hub would change the narrative by creating a world-class agro-industrial ecosystem equipped with modern processing facilities for cosmetics, food, nutraceuticals, and pharmaceuticals, alongside laboratories, training centres, storage, logistics, and export facilitation services.
“At full maturity, this ecosystem is expected to empower over 7,000 women in the Upper West Region and support thousands of youth jobs,” the President announced.
President Mahama stressed that women are not merely beneficiaries of the project but its foundation. He disclosed that government has already supplied 3,000 wellington boots and 3,200 gloves to shea pickers to protect them from snake and scorpion bites during harvesting.
“Traditionally, it is our women who have been at the heart of the shea industry. These interventions are to ensure they can work safely and with dignity,” he said.
The President also revealed that plans to establish a Women’s Bank are far advanced, with a special focus on supporting women in the shea sector, particularly in northern Ghana.
“The Women’s Bank in the Upper West Region will target mothers in the shea nut industry, providing small credits during the harvesting season so they can pick and transport nuts without hardship,” he explained.
Touching on Ghana’s broader value-addition agenda, President Mahama cited ongoing efforts in gold, manganese, cashew, cassava, oil palm, and cotton processing, noting that exporting raw materials denies the country significant economic value.
“The purpose of the Shea Park is to bring the full value home. We can pick the nuts, process them, make finished products here, export them, and retain the value in our communities,” he said.
The President further announced that 261 24-hour markets would be constructed across the country—one in every district—to support round-the-clock economic activity, stressing that communities must collectively decide suitable locations for maximum benefit.
On infrastructure, President Mahama reaffirmed his commitment to completing major road projects in the Upper West, including the Wa–Tumu–Hain–Bolgatanga road, promising it would be commissioned before the end of his tenure.
“I can assure you that before I leave office, we will commission the road from Wa through Tumu and Hain to Bolgatanga,” he declared.
He also announced plans for the construction of a new airport in Wa, funded through the newly approved airport infrastructure levy.
In closing, President Mahama urged the people of the Upper West, especially women and the youth, to take ownership of the Shea Park Resource Hub.
“This facility belongs to you. Build skills, innovate, add value, and form enterprises that can compete not only in Ghana but across Africa and the world,” he said.
He expressed appreciation to traditional authorities, government officials, development partners, and investors, describing the Shea Park Resource Hub as a future beacon of inclusive growth, women’s empowerment, youth employment, and regional transformation.
Story: Patrick Asford Boadu
