Ghana is preparing to use the World Shea Expo 2026 to promote its shea industry as an investment and export opportunity with organisers calling for the country and the wider West African region to move beyond exporting raw produce and capture more value through processing, technology and locally owned brands.

The event, scheduled for Tamale, will bring together producers, women’s cooperatives, processors, exporters, investors, researchers, policymakers and international buyers under the theme: “From Local Commodity to Global Brand: Accelerating Women and Youth-Led Value Addition in Shea".

Ghana already has significant export potential in the sector. The country exports about 70,000 tonnes of shea nuts, valued at approximately $112.6m, highlighting both the scale of the industry and the opportunity to increase revenues through local value addition.

Moving beyond raw shea exports

Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Prof Abukari Alhassan at a press conference in Tamale on September 10, 2026, said the expo would be used to make the case for a stronger, more competitive shea industry across Ghana and West Africa.

“We want to use the World Shea Expo 2026 to make a very clear statement: Ghana and West Africa must not be known only for the shea they produce,” he said.

“We must also be known for the value that we add, the science we generate, the technologies we develop, the products we create, the brands we build, the jobs we generate and the communities we transform.”

Organisers say the event is intended to expand markets for Ghanaian shea products, showcase the country’s quality and production capacity, and connect businesses with investors and buyers. The wider goal is to strengthen Ghana’s position in international supply chains for shea-based food, cosmetics and personal-care products.

Women and youth

The expo will also recognise and celebrate the contribution of women across the shea value chain, particularly in the collection, processing and trading of shea products.

Prof Alhassan said women and young people must be central to, rather than excluded from the industry’s expansion.

“Most importantly, let us ensure that women and young people are not at the margins of this transformation, but at its very centre,” he said.

“This is how we build a stronger shea industry. This is how we create sustainable livelihoods and decent jobs. And that is how we ensure that a greater share of the wealth generated from West African shea resources is retained by the people and communities where that value begins.”

The theme reflects a push to give women and young entrepreneurs greater access to training, investment, technology and higher-value business opportunities in the sector.

Investment

The World Shea Expo 2026 will combine trade, policy and industry-development activities. Its programme is expected to include:

• Exhibitions and the showcasing of shea products, processing equipment and services.
• Technical presentations on quality, innovation, production and value addition.
• An investment forum linking businesses, financiers and prospective partners.
• Policy dialogues on regulation, trade, sustainability and sector development.
• Entrepreneurship workshops for women, young people and emerging enterprises.
• Field visits designed to give participants first-hand exposure to shea-producing communities and value-chain operations.

By bringing international buyers and investors together with producers and processors, organisers hope the expo will help turn Ghana’s shea exports into a larger source of locally retained income, decent employment and rural economic development. 

The World Shea Expo 2026, an initiative of Savannah Golden Tree Limited in partnership with the Presidential Initiative in Agriculture and Agribusiness (PIAA), will be held in Tamale the Northern regional capital from September 15-17, 2026, with the Vice President, Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang as special guest of honour. 

By Blessed EDUAMOAH DADZIE