….unveils industrial model blueprint
By Kingsley Webora TANKEH
Nuts for Growth (N4G) has unveiled a viable, sustainable, and inclusive industrial model blueprint for the Ghana’s shea industry – seizing the opportunity for increased productivity under the 24-hour economy and the forthcoming ban on the export of raw shea nuts – to gnaw a chunk of the US$2.75 Billion global shea market.
As Ghana pushes for agro-industrialization, under the 24-Hour Economy, particularly in the North, N4G’s three-shift shea plant is already making strides towards developing the Northern economy, through shea butter production.
It employs over 450 people in an already existing three shifts system, with capacity for a fourth shift.
It indicated that an upcoming soya mill, expected in 2026, will add more than 300 jobs.
The founder and Chief Executive Officer of N4G, Dora Haborsutei Torwiseh, in a statement, declared that, “we stand at a pivotal moment.”
“Our experience proves that Ghana can lead the world in sustainable agribusiness. But no single company can transform an ecosystem. We invite all stakeholders to join this movement.”
Torwiseh’s call to action comes as global demand for shea butter surges. The shea butter industry is projected to grow at 4.0 percent this year.
She is therefore calling for a holistic shea industrial policy that will ensure consistent, all-year-round access to raw shea nuts through supportive regulations and supply chain management.
Through public-private collaboration in the local shea industry, rural infrastructure and livelihoods will improve and and communities will become more resilient to climate change, she added.
Ghana, renowned for high-quality shea butter, is uniquely positioned to capitalize on the growth in demand, but requires scaled, industrial solutions like N4G’s.
Driven primarily by its use as a substitute for Cocoa Butter in the chocolate industry and its popularity in cosmetics, shea butter demand is outstripping traditional artisanal production capacity.
Cognizant of stringent international standards for the shea butter industry, N4G proposes the utilization of sustainable solvent extraction technology, which produces premium, lab-tested shea butter – a capability rare among African processors.
It states that, through its “Women for Change” platform, N4G has organized 81,000 women and youth across 270 cooperatives in Northern Ghana to train them on a pioneering blockchain system that ensures traceability, crucial for compliance with the upcoming EU Deforestation Regulation.
According to N4G, the platform transcends shea nuts, it encompasses literacy and vocational training, healthcare, water access, and micro-poultry farming, which will be added later on.
These were revealed in the Ghana Horticulture Expo 2025, which highlighted shea butter as a golden opportunity, transforming Ghana’s shea heritage into a significantly larger share of the $2.75 billion global market.
This blueprint looks promising but for the grossly unregulated nature of the sector which leaves vulnerable shea pickers at the messy of middle men and lower prices.
The Tree Crop Development Authority has recently set the price of 1kg of shea nuts at 9.01.
This may seem impressive as it will reduce cost of local production but woefully inadequate and does not offer the necessary protection for the vulnerable shea pickers in rural Ghana, severely affecting their livelihoods and standard of living.
The insolvency of the PBC Shea Limited, a subsidiary of the larger Produce Buying Company Limited, tasked to purchase shea nuts directly from the pickers and produce shea butter, ensuring stable incomes, compounds the situation.
N4G’s multifaceted strategy aligns with Ghana’s industrial agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
N4G is set to launch a 150 metric tonnes per day production capacity soya mill in 2026 to utilize “Women for Change” and soybeans to improve livelihoods and enhance regional food security.
Promoting circularity in Ghana and contributing towards the achievement of 100 percent circularity by 2030, N4G converts all of its shea nut waste and 40 metric tonnes of shea cake produces daily into steam via a biomass boiler, recycling 95 percent of its water content.
The residue, boiler ash is then converted to potash fertilizer.
According to N4G, tesearch is underway to convert shea and soya cake to poultry feed, for both local production and targeting 40 percent in exports.
Nuts for Growth is a local shea nuts and soya beans processing company, providing jobs, particularly for women and youth and training farmers to improve quality control in the shea and soya value chains.
