The President of the Central Regional House of Chiefs and Paramount Chief of the Breman Traditional Area, Odeefuo Amoakwa Boadu VIII, has expressed strong support for government plans to expand palm nut cultivation as a key driver of employment and economic growth in the region.

He spoke at a stakeholder engagement with traditional authorities and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), organised in collaboration with the Land Bank Secretariat of the Lands Commission at the Regional Coordinating Council.

The meeting, convened by the Central Regional Minister, Ekow Okyere Panyin Eduamoah, focused on positioning palm nut cultivation as a central component of the government’s Red Economy agenda, which seeks to promote agriculture, agro-processing and value addition to stimulate rural development and job creation.

Odeefuo Amoakwa Boadu VIII noted that the Central Region is well-endowed with fertile lands, favourable climatic conditions and a long tradition of palm cultivation, making it well suited for large-scale investment in the sector.

He emphasised the commitment of chiefs to make land available and create an enabling environment for the initiative to succeed.

“We don’t wrestle with power, but we are actors of development for our people, so we will support the government for this initiative as it seeks to alleviate unemployment in the country,” he said.

The paramount chief highlighted the potential of the palm nut value chain to create sustainable livelihoods for young people, pointing out opportunities in plantation development, processing, packaging, transportation and export.

He described the project as a practical pathway to reducing youth unemployment and accelerating local economic growth, stressing that collaboration between government and traditional authorities would be critical to achieving meaningful results.

The chiefs, he added, remain committed to working closely with the government to ensure that the region fully benefits from the Red Economy agenda.