The Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA) has signed an agreement with Golden Forest Limited, a Russian owned firm, to boost investment, research and value addition in Ghana’s shea industry.
The two sides signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Accra on Friday. TCDA Chief Executive Officer Dr Andy Osei Okrah signed for the authority, while Golden Forest Chief Executive Officer Timur Bakusev signed for the company, with a counsellor at the Russian Embassy, Dr Natalia Muzhennikova, witnessing the ceremony.
Golden Forest is a subsidiary of Russia’s EFKO Group. Under the deal, the partners will collaborate on restoring shea parklands, building processing infrastructure, conducting scientific research and supporting the rural women who dominate shea collection and primary processing.
Okrah said much of the value from shea is still captured outside Africa through processing and manufacturing abroad. He argued the partnership could help Ghana move beyond raw material exports and become a hub for processing and industrialisation, lifting incomes across the chain, particularly for women. He called the deal “a significant step” toward transforming the value chain.
Shea remains a key livelihood in northern Ghana, supporting around 500,000 households, with close to 900,000 women involved in picking and processing. Demand is rising globally across the cosmetics, food and pharmaceutical industries, and TCDA has introduced reforms including licensing, quality controls and a minimum producer price to protect actors in the sector.
Bakusev reaffirmed EFKO Group’s long term interest in Ghana, pledging support for women collectors and scientific cooperation to improve yields and product quality. He also outlined plans to offer young Ghanaians opportunities to study tree crops and oilseed processing at agricultural universities in Russia.
TCDA said the agreement should attract new investment, expand research and processing capacity and strengthen the global competitiveness of Ghana’s shea industry, while deepening agricultural cooperation between Ghana and Russia and supporting the country’s industrialisation and export diversification goals.
