President John Dramani Mahama has launched the Upper West Sheapark Resource Hub in Wa to transform the shea sector from raw extraction into agro-industrial production.

The Sheapark Resource Hub is envisioned as a world-class agro-industrial ecosystem incorporating processing facilities for cosmetics, food, nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals, as well as quality control laboratories, training centres, storage, logistics, warehousing and export facilitation.

The hub will also integrate renewable energy solutions, water recycling systems and business incubation services to promote sustainability and innovation within the shea value chain.

At full maturity, the project is expected to directly empower more than 7,000 women and create thousands of jobs for young people. It will also support related value chains such as groundnuts, soya beans, sorghum, dawadawa, cotton and honey.

Speaking at the Wa Naa’s Palace where the initiative was launched, President Mahama said the Sheapark Resource Hub was a strategic investment designed to unlock the economic potential of the Upper West Region and ensure inclusive national development.

He described the initiative as a deliberate policy shift aimed at resetting Ghana’s development trajectory through region-based industrialisation, women’s empowerment and value addition.

The President noted that although Ghana is among the world’s leading producers of shea nuts, women who form the backbone of the industry remain trapped at the lowest end of the value chain.

“The shea sector occupies a unique place in our rural economy and cultural heritage, particularly in the savannah belt,” he said, adding that generations of women have sustained households through shea picking and processing without enjoying commensurate economic returns.

President Mahama announced government interventions to improve safety and livelihoods for women in the shea industry, including the distribution of 3,000 Wellington boots and 3,200 protective gloves to guard against snake and scorpion bites during nut picking.

He further disclosed progress towards establishing a Women’s Bank, which will provide targeted credit to women, particularly shea pickers in northern Ghana, to support cooperative activities and ease access to transportation.

He also backed a declaration by traditional authorities to ban the felling of shea trees for charcoal production, pledging government support for enforcement by local assemblies and security agencies.

Touching on broader infrastructure development, the President reiterated government’s commitment to building 24-hour economy markets in all districts, including Wa, and called on local stakeholders to agree on siting that maximises public benefit.

He reaffirmed his pledge to complete key road projects linking Wa–Techiman and Wa–Bolgatanga before the end of his tenure, and announced that Wa would benefit from a new airport funded through the Airport Infrastructure Levy.

Earlier, the Speaker of Parliament, Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, described the Sheapark Resource Hub as a long-gestating but transformative intervention anchored in a comprehensive development blueprint for the Upper West Region.

He said the plan identifies shea as a growth pole supported by allied products and proposes new urban infrastructure to stimulate commerce and industrial activity.

“This is not a political slogan or a project to be abandoned after launch,” the Speaker stressed, calling for active involvement of beneficiaries, private investors and the media to ensure sustainability.

The Wa Naa, Naa Fuseini Pelpuo IV, lauded the initiative as a game changer for the regional economy and announced a total ban on the cutting of shea trees.

He appealed for continued investment in roads, health, education and agricultural inputs, and assured the President of traditional authorities’ support for government development projects.