At a vibrant ceremony held at the forecourt of the Wa Naa’s Palace yesterday, January 31, 2026, traditional rulers from across the region gathered to witness what marks a transformative era for agro-industrial development in Northern Ghana.
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban S. Bagbin, Regional Minister Charles Lwanga Puozuing, Members of Parliament, CEOs, MMDCEs, and heads of various departments joined the general public to witness the unveiling of an industrial blueprint for the shea industry as President John Dramani Mahama officially commissioned the Upper West SheaPark Resource Hub.
deliberate policy choice
President Mahama described the initiative as a “deliberate policy choice” aimed at resetting Ghana’s development trajectory. He emphasised that the strategy focuses on investing in regional strengths and high-value industrial processing.
Addressing the assembly of traditional leaders, including the Overlord of Wa, Naa Fusein Seidu Pelpuo IV, the Nandom Naa, Professor Edmund Nminyem Delle Chiir VIII, the President highlighted the shea sector’s central role in the nation’s rural economy.
“For generations, women have sustained households and communities through shea picking and processing,” the President remarked. “The women who form the backbone of this industry have in poverty and at the lowest end of the value chain,” he added. The SheaPark Resource Hub is designed to change that narrative by shifting from raw extraction to high-value agro-industrial production.
“For generations, women have sustained households and communities through shea picking and processing,…. The women who form the backbone of this industry have in poverty and at the lowest end of the value chain
The hub is envisioned as a world-class ecosystem centred on sustainability and innovation. It features specialised units for the production of cosmetics, food, and pharmaceuticals, alongside training centres to educate rural dwellers in nursery management, propagation, and field maintenance.
The facility is also designed to be self-sustaining and efficient, boasting quality control laboratories, massive storage warehouses, and direct export facilitation. Notably, the site will be powered by solar energy and equipped with advanced water recycling and treatment plants.
The President underscored the project’s massive social impact, noting that at full capacity, the ecosystem is expected to empower over 7000 women and provide thousands of sustainable jobs for the region’s youth.
While the hub’s primary focus remains on shea, it will also serve as an anchor for other regional value chains. This includes processing and distributing staples such as groundnuts, soybeans, sorghum, and honey.
In a lighthearted yet firm address, President Mahama threw his weight behind the Wa Naa’s declaration to criminalise the felling of shea trees for charcoal. “I urge our brothers involved in charcoal burning: when selecting trees, do not add the shea tree to your list. It is an economic asset and a part of our cultural identity that must be protected.”
Today’s launch is not just a ceremony….. It reflects our determination as a government to reset Ghanas development trajetory by investing in our people and unlucking our regional strength and ensuring no part is left behind.”
The launch stands as a cornerstone of the government’s broader “Reset Agenda” and the “Big Push” initiative, which prioritises infrastructure and industrial growth. The President reaffirmed his commitment to “bottom-up” development, ensuring growth originates from the regions rather than being concentrated in the national capital.
“Today’s launch is not a ceremonial event,” President Mahama concluded. “It reflects our determination as a government to reset Ghanas development trajetory by investing in our people and unlucking our regional strength and ensuring no part is left behind.”
