President John Dramani Mahama has announced plans to establish 100,000 hectares of commercial oil palm plantations under the government’s proposed $10 billion New Economy Policy, as part of efforts to create jobs and provide alternative livelihoods for young people engaged in illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
Speaking at Jubilee House during a courtesy call by the Western North Regional House of Chiefs, led by Ɔgyeahɔhoɔ Nana Yaw Gyebi II, Paramount Chief of the Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Area and President of the National House of Chiefs, President Mahama called on traditional leaders to support the initiative by making land available for cultivation or establishing their own plantations.
He said the project would not only create employment but also give traditional authorities and landowners an opportunity to generate regular income from commercial oil palm farming.
“The New Economy Policy will also invest in oil palm. With oil palm, we want to establish 100,000 hectares of plantations. Nananom, you are the custodians of the land. When the time comes and we are mapping and surveying where the oil palm will be grown, we are not asking you to release the land. You can also own the oil palm plantation yourselves,” he said.
“Nothing stops Nananom from having 100 acres of oil palm. That will bring you a regular income all the time.”
The proposed plantations also form part of the government’s broader strategy to address illegal mining by creating more sustainable sources of income for young people. The issue featured prominently during the meeting, with Ɔgyeahɔhoɔ Nana Yaw Gyebi II raising concerns about youth unemployment and the environmental damage caused by galamsey.
In response, President Mahama said the fight against illegal mining must go beyond law enforcement to include economic opportunities that would make it possible for young people to earn a living through legitimate work.
He said the government expected investments under the New Economy Policy to create jobs across several sectors, reducing the incentive for young people to engage in illegal mining.
“We need your support in the fight against illegal mining. It is our hope that as we implement the New Economy Policy and create alternative livelihoods for our young people, we will discourage many of those who risk their lives in galamsey,” he said.
“Alongside enforcing the law against illegal mining, we must provide alternative livelihoods. That is why we are implementing the New Economy Policy. I believe that if we invest US$10 billion in job-rich sectors of the economy, it should provide alternative livelihoods for our young people and discourage them from going into galamsey.”
Beyond oil palm, the government is also looking at expanding rubber cultivation in parts of the Western North Region where cocoa yields have declined. President Mahama said the move would help farming communities diversify their sources of income rather than depend solely on cocoa production.
He also highlighted the newly passed Ghana Cocoa Board Act, 2026, which he said guarantees cocoa farmers at least 70 per cent of international market prices. According to the President, Ghanaian cocoa farmers are currently receiving 71.18 per cent.
President Mahama also updated the chiefs on planned infrastructure projects in the region, confirming that the site for the Western North Regional Hospital had been handed over. He added that procurement had been completed for a two-kilometre emergency landing airstrip and a regional sports stadium, both part of the government’s wider infrastructure development plans.
