Ghana’s growing export earnings are strengthening the case for agribusiness as a source of foreign exchange, investment and jobs, but the country’s ability to sustain that growth will depend on whether local businesses can consistently meet international standards, expand processing capacity and secure reliable buyers.
The issue is expected to feature prominently at the EU-Ghana Agribusiness Exhibition Forum 2026, scheduled for October 28 and 29 at The Palms by Eagles Hotel in Accra, where more than 400 visitors, alongside Ghanaian and European businesses, investors and industry stakeholders, are expected to participate.
The forum, organised by EuroCham Ghana in partnership with the Government of Ghana, the Ghana Investment Promotion Authority (GIPC) and the Ghana Netherlands Business and Culture Council (GNBCC), will bring together businesses from Ghana and European countries, including the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Sweden, Germany and the United Kingdom.
However, the economic significance of the gathering extends beyond the exhibition of agricultural products. For Ghana, the central question is how to convert international business contacts into export contracts, investment in local processing, technology transfer and better commercial opportunities for farmers and small businesses.
Data from the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) show that Ghana’s non-traditional export earnings reached approximately $5.01 billion in 2025, up 30.7 per cent from $3.83 billion in 2024. Agricultural exports increased by 37.82 per cent to $710.3 million, with cashew nuts, shea nuts and bananas among the products driving growth. Yam exports also recorded a substantial increase.
The figures point to opportunities beyond the country’s traditional export commodities. They also raise questions about how Ghana can sustain the expansion, diversify its products and ensure that the benefits reach producers and businesses throughout the agricultural value chain.
Processed and semi-processed products contributed approximately $3.09 billion to non-traditional export earnings in 2025, accounting for 83.47 per cent of the total, according to GEPA. Cocoa derivatives, including cocoa paste, butter and powder, remained the largest contributor to the sector’s export basket.
The performance illustrates the commercial value of processing agricultural commodities rather than relying exclusively on the sale of raw products. Processing can create additional business opportunities in manufacturing, packaging, storage, transportation and distribution while allowing more economic activity to take place within Ghana.
The challenge is extending that model to more agricultural products and ensuring that local processors can compete on price, quality and reliability.
Ghanaian agribusinesses seeking to enter European markets must also contend with technical requirements covering food safety, product quality, traceability and documentation. Although the Ghana-European Union Economic Partnership Agreement provides preferential access for qualifying Ghanaian-origin products, businesses must satisfy applicable rules of origin and product-specific import requirements.
Consequently, access to a market does not automatically guarantee access to its customers. Exporters must understand the requirements for their particular products, maintain consistent production standards and demonstrate that their goods comply with the relevant regulations.
These requirements can be particularly demanding for smallholder farmers, cooperatives and smaller processors that lack the capital, technical expertise or infrastructure needed to meet international buyers’ expectations.
Limited access to affordable financing, inadequate storage and processing facilities, inconsistent supply volumes and difficulties coordinating production across fragmented supply chains can also constrain businesses attempting to fulfil large or recurring orders.
For farmers, these obstacles can mean losing access to potentially higher-value markets. For processors and exporters, they can translate into higher operating costs, rejected consignments and missed commercial opportunities.
The consequences extend beyond individual businesses. When agricultural producers cannot reach profitable markets or add value to their output, Ghana risks losing opportunities to generate foreign exchange, expand rural employment and develop industries around its agricultural resources.
The forum’s programme will therefore address trade and investment opportunities, market access, export readiness, financing, technology, innovation, sustainable agriculture and value-chain development.
According to Nicolas Gebara, Executive Director of EuroCham Ghana, the initiative is intended to produce practical commercial outcomes.
“The Forum is about turning conversations into commercial opportunities by bringing Ghanaian and European businesses together with buyers, investors and value-chain partners. We want participants to identify concrete opportunities for trade, investment, technology cooperation and partnerships that continue beyond the two days,” he said in the organisers’ press release.
AAK, the forum’s key private sector sponsor, is supporting the event’s focus on sustainable value creation and commercially relevant agribusiness solutions. The global ingredient company specialises in plant-based oils and fats and has maintained a presence in Ghana since 1958, with long-standing shea operations in West Africa.
For Ghana to maximise the benefits of such partnerships, however, business engagements must translate into measurable commitments. These could include investment in processing facilities, supply agreements with local producers, training in export standards, improved storage systems and the transfer of technologies that help businesses increase productivity.
Government agencies, financial institutions, industry associations and development partners also have a role to play. Expanding access to affordable working capital, strengthening agricultural extension services, improving rural infrastructure and supporting certification processes could help more Ghanaian businesses meet the requirements of international markets.
Equally important is the need to track the outcomes of trade exhibitions and investment forums. The number of participants and meetings held may indicate interest, but the more meaningful measures are the contracts secured, investments realised, jobs created and local producers incorporated into sustainable supply chains.
The EU-Ghana Agribusiness Exhibition Forum, organised with the support of the Delegation of the European Union to Ghana and RVO Netherlands, offers an opportunity to advance these priorities.
Ultimately, Ghana’s export ambitions will depend not only on finding foreign buyers but also on building domestic businesses capable of supplying them consistently and competitively. If the connections made in Accra lead to lasting commercial relationships, the benefits could extend from exporters and processors to farmers, workers and rural communities.
The wider economic test is whether Ghana can turn rising export earnings into a stronger domestic agribusiness sector that creates value at home while competing successfully abroad.
