Ghana is ramping up domestic palm oil production in a bid to cut its $2 billion annual import bill and close a widening supply gap, according to the government’s 2025–2028 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework.
The plan centers on a new National Palm Oil Industry Policy that will distribute 1.5 million seedlings to farmers, promote large-scale out-grower plantation schemes, and offer incentives to boost local refining capacity.
Branded the “RedGold” programme, the initiative is expected to draw private investment, create thousands of rural jobs, and align with the government’s broader import substitution and agro-industrial transformation strategy.
Despite consuming more than 250,000 metric tons of palm oil each year, Ghana produces just 50,000 metric tons domestically, a shortfall that leaves the edible oils market heavily dependent on imports. The policy aims to build a fully integrated value chain from plantation to refinery, reducing the country’s vulnerability to external price shocks.
The palm oil push forms part of the Ghana Tree Crops Diversification Project (GTCDP), which targets expanded commercial cultivation of cashew, coconut, rubber, mango, and shea.
In 2025, the Ghana Tree Crops Development Programme will distribute 5.07 million seedlings nationwide, including 2 million cashew, 1.65 million rubber, and 1.42 million coconut. An additional 2 million seedlings, 500,000 shea and 1.5 million mango, will go to 500,000 farmers.
If successful, the programme could position Ghana as a net exporter of palm oil in the medium term while boosting foreign exchange earnings from other high-value crops.
