The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, has led the Ghana Tree Crops Investment Summit and Exhibition alongside President John Dramani Mahama, in a renewed push to scale up tree crop production as a pillar of economic stability and sustainable growth.

The high-level summit, which brought together policymakers, investors, agribusiness leaders and development partners, focused on repositioning Ghana’s tree crops sector as a structured, regulated and investment-ready engine for national development.

Addressing participants, President Mahama underscored the critical need to reset and robustly build Ghana’s green economy, stressing his administration’s commitment to transforming tree crops into key catalysts for sustainable economic expansion. He emphasised that a well-coordinated and investor-friendly tree crops sector would not only boost exports but also create jobs, enhance rural livelihoods and strengthen the country’s foreign exchange base.

Mr. Opoku, for his part, reaffirmed the Ministry’s readiness to spearhead comprehensive reforms and interventions across the value chain.

Under my stewardship, he noted, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture is now positioned to coordinate initiatives ranging from the distribution of improved and viable seedlings to the modernisation of agricultural technology and the implementation of farmer income enhancement programmes.

He highlighted that the government’s approach aligns with the broader Agriculture for Economic Transformation Agenda, which seeks to harness the full potential of tree crops such as cocoa, cashew, rubber, oil palm and shea as strategic commodities for long-term growth.

The Minister further called on both local and international investors to take advantage of the vast opportunities within Ghana’s expanding green economy, assuring them of a stable policy environment and a structured regulatory framework to safeguard investments.

To farmers across the country, Mr. Opoku urged the adoption of advanced farming standards and sustainable agricultural models, describing them as indispensable tools for moving the nation “from potential to prosperity.”

The summit is expected to catalyse new partnerships and investments aimed at strengthening production, processing and value addition within Ghana’s tree crops sector, reinforcing its role as a cornerstone of economic transformation