Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson has announced that Ghana’s new Oil Palm Plantation Policy, set to be presented in the 2026 Budget, is expected to create over 500,000 jobs across the agricultural value chain.
Speaking after a meeting with the Regional Vice President for Africa at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Ethiopis Tafara, on the sidelines of the IMF/World Bank Annual Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C., Dr. Forson said the policy is a key pillar of government’s strategy to transform agriculture into a major engine of employment, growth, and industrialisation.
“The potential is enormous. With the right investment and partnerships, we believe Ghana can create over 500,000 jobs across the value chain — from cultivation and processing to manufacturing and exports — through the development of these strategic crops,” he stated on his Facebook page.
He explained that government is in the final stages of preparing the Oil Palm Plantation Policy, which forms part of a broader plan to expand the cultivation of economic crops and boost agro-industrial value chains nationwide.
“I also emphasised that such large-scale agricultural transformation requires patient capital, and we are therefore working closely with the World Bank, IFC, and other development partners to mobilise financing and catalyse private sector participation.”
“Ghana is ready to move. Together with our partners, we will harness the power of agriculture to deliver inclusive growth, create jobs, and place economic crops at the heart of our nation’s transformation agenda.”
By: Ekow Annan/newsalertgh.com
