The World Bank, a key development partner of the Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA), is set to deepen its engagement in Ghana’s oil palm sector through an intensive scoping mission, days after the 2026 Budget highlighted major policy interventions for the industry.
The mission, scheduled for a week long field tour, will take officials to major industrial players including Benso Oil Palm Plantation PLC and Twifo Oil Palm Plantations (TOPP) in the Western and Central Regions. The team will also visit artisanal oil palm processing facilities to interact with women processors and smallholder farmers, who form the backbone of the value chain.
Ghana’s ambition outlined in the 2026 Budget is to achieve self-sufficiency in palm oil production by 2032 under the newly launched National Policy on Integrated Oil Palm Development. The policy, running from 2026 to 2032, aims to cultivate over 100,000 hectares of new plantations and generate an estimated 250,000 direct and indirect jobs.
Presenting the budget to Parliament, Minister for Finance Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson emphasized that the initiative would be spearheaded by the Tree Crops Development Authority in close collaboration with the Oil Palm Research Institute and private sector partners.
Acknowledging that oil palm is a long-gestation crop requiring patient capital, the government has established a US$500 million Oil Palm Development Finance Window in partnership with the World Bank, other development finance institutions, and the Development Bank Ghana (DBG).
“To address this, we are establishing a Dedicated US$500 million Oil Palm Development Finance Window. Conventional short-term commercial loans are ill-suited for a crop that takes nearly seven years to reach full maturity,” Forson said.
The world bank team includes Abel Lufafa – Practice Manager, Agriculture and Food Global Practice, West and Central Africa, Ashwini Sebastian – Senior Agriculture Economist , George Amoasah – Senior Environmental Specialist, Emmanuel Abeka – Senior Social Development Specialist, Ebenezer Ansah – Agriculture Economist.
The TCDA team on the other hand includes
Dr. Andy Osei Okrah , CEO, TCDA , Mr. Stephen Asante Acquah , Deputy CEO , Fin and Admin, Dr. Kofi Twum Antwi, Director of Operations , Mr Yaw Agyei Agyapong, Oil Palm Value Chain Specialist and PR Team of TCDA.
The World Bank’s expanded scoping mission is expected to provide technical insight and guide future support for the sector, reinforcing Ghana’s long-term vision of building a competitive, inclusive, and sustainable oil palm industry.
