The World Shea Expo 2025 in Tamale attracted over 8,000 participants, driving partnerships, policies, and investment to transform Ghana’s shea sector.
Tamale became the global hub for shea from September 2–4 as more than 8,000 participants gathered for the World Shea Expo 2025.
The three-day event themed, “Empowering Women and Youth-Led SMEs: The Role of Government and Financial Institutions,” was held at the Modern City Hotel. It brought together producers, international buyers, policymakers, and development partners in what organizers hailed as Ghana’s most significant shea gathering to date.
Opening the Expo on behalf of President John Dramani Mahama, Deputy Chief of Staff Hon. Nana Oye Bampoe Addo pledged government’s determination to transform shea from a subsistence crop into a strategic economic pillar.
Women at the heart of the industry
Day one spotlighted the central role of women, who make up nearly 90% of the workforce in Ghana’s shea belt. A moving testimony came from Abubakar Barkatu of the Tungteiya Women’s Shea Butter Association, who shared how shea had funded her children’s education and health.
The Women in Shea Panel urged better financing, stronger market access, and fairer policies, while the Shea Trade Fair linked local cooperatives directly with international buyers, resulting in dozens of export opportunities.
Finance, youth, and sustainability
Day two shifted to financing and modernization. At the Investors Forum, Dr. Peter Boamah Otokunor, Director of Presidential Initiatives in Agriculture, said Ghana could hit 400,000 metric tonnes of shea annually; worth $640 million, if it upgrades processing and logistics. He warned against exporting raw kernels, stressing the need to capture value through refining and branding.
The Youth Entrepreneurship Workshop highlighted innovative startups in shea-based cosmetics and foods, while the Sustainability Showcase emphasized shea’s role as an “ecological guardian” of the savannah and the importance of climate-smart practices.
Policy commitments and legacy projects
Day three brought major announcements. Government confirmed the revival of the Buipe Shea Processing Factory, with capacity to process 180,000 tonnes annually and create up to 40,000 jobs under the 24-hour economy agenda. New national standards for shea kernels and butter were also unveiled to boost quality and secure premium international markets.
Hon. Nana Oye Bampoe Addo further announced a price floor mechanism, modeled after cocoa, to protect farmers from market volatility.
The day ended with an awards ceremony celebrating excellence in cooperatives, exporters, and youth-led enterprises, followed by field visits to cooperatives where delegates witnessed both challenges and resilience in shea production.
Tangible outcomes
The Expo delivered concrete results:
• 150+ business partnerships forged on the spot
• 200 SMEs trained in branding, packaging, and finance
• 20,000 PPE sets donated to women collectors to boost nut recovery
• Commitments from financial institutions and development partners to expand investment in the sector
Global significance
With 21 African countries in the shea belt, the Expo also signaled the power of regional collaboration and shea’s growing importance in global cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and food processing markets, now valued at $2 billion and projected to top $3 billion by 2030.
“The World Shea Expo 2025 is not just a celebration, it is a platform for transformation,” Dr. Otokunor stressed. “It reflects a government serious about industrialization, rural development, and climate-smart agriculture.”
For Ghana, the Expo positions shea as a billion-dollar opportunity, and as a driver of women’s empowerment, youth entrepreneurship, and sustainable growth across the African shea belt.
