Ghana’s Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA) has intensified efforts to enforce its new export regulations through a major stakeholder forum in Tema, bringing together rubber, cashew and shea industry players to ensure compliance with recent trade restrictions.
The May 2025 policy now requires written approval from TCDA before exporting unprocessed tree crops, a move authorities say will protect domestic processors struggling with raw material shortages. TCDA CEO Dr. Andy Osei Okrah revealed Ghana lost GH¢22.5 million last year from unfettered rubber exports while local factories operated below capacity.
“Six major rubber processors employing 1,400 workers could quadruple their workforce with stable raw material supply,” Okrah told participants including exporters, farmers and bankers. He framed the controls as essential for Ghana’s industrialization, noting the policy aims to balance export earnings with domestic value-addition needs rather than impose blanket bans.
The forum highlighted startling trade imbalances, with Dr. Ishmael Dodoo of Ghana’s Export Acceleration Secretariat disclosing $637 million spent annually on imported shea-based cosmetics that could be manufactured locally. Rubber industry representatives welcomed the intervention, with Association of Natural Rubber Actors president Emmanuel Owusu reporting renewed bank interest in sector financing since the policy announcement.
While emphasizing an educational approach over punitive measures, TCDA officials made clear the mandatory permitting system will be strictly enforced. The Authority plans to conduct regular audits and work with customs to monitor compliance, signaling Ghana’s determination to shift from raw commodity exports to developed agro-processing capabilities as part of broader industrial transformation efforts.
The policy’s success may hinge on TCDA’s ability to streamline approval processes while ensuring transparent raw material allocation between exporters and domestic processors. With Ghana’s tree crops sector supporting millions of livelihoods, the regulations represent a calculated gamble to stimulate local manufacturing without disrupting established trade flows that many farmers and exporters depend on.
