The Oil Palm Development Association of Ghana (OP­DAG), on Wednesday, held its 3rd Annual General Meeting in Accra, bringing together key play­ers from government, industry, and civil society to discuss the current challenges and opportunities within the country’s oil palm value chain.

The meeting was held under the theme “The Oil Palm Value Chain at the Crossroads: The Role of Policy Alignment and Regulatory Enforcement for Productivity, Competitiveness, Inclusive Growth and Development.”

Delivering the keynote address, a Development Economist and Chartered Accountant, Mr Nich­olas Issaka Gbana, commended OPDAG for its consistent commit­ment to leadership and advocacy in the oil palm sector.

This, he urged stakeholders to focus on greater policy alignment to avoid duplication and inefficien­cies, citing the government’s Feed Ghana and Grow24 programmes as examples.

“These two flagship pro­grammes, though well-meaning, are parallel in structure and duplicative in nature. They both identify oil palm as a priority crop, yet with overlapping objectives and strat­egies, risking confusion, resource competition, and fragmented implementation,” he said.

Therefore, Mr Gbana advocated for a single, unified strategy for the tree crops sector, with the Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA) playing a central coordi­nating role.

He further called for a review and reset of the TCDA’s current 5-Year Strategy (2022–2027), add­ing that it has served as the foun­dation for the World Bank-funded Tree Crop Diversification Project.

He called on TCDA and COCO­BOD to establish a joint technical committee to assess the feasibility of mixed cropping, agroforestry, and livestock integration in build­ing on pilots from the SWAPP 2 project.

Also, he urged OPDAG to be more vocal on broader fiscal and monetary policies, particularly those relating to taxes, foreign exchange, and interest rates, which have significant implications for the cost competitiveness of the local industry.

On the other hand, the Chief Executive Officer of TCDA, Dr Andy Okrah, stated that the authority is committed to aligning national policies and enforcing regulations to ensure the sustain­able development of the oil palm industry.

He announced that TCDA, in collaboration with key government ministries and development part­ners, was working to harmonise policies and reduce fragmentation.

Touching on regulatory enforce­ment, Dr Okrah highlighted the launch of an online licensing and registration platform for value chain actors, with field registration set to begin soon.

“A Seed and Seedling Production Policy, supported by MOFA and Solidaridad, is also expected to be launched to ensure farmers’ access to certified planting materials,” he revealed.

He acknowledged the challenge of illicit vegetable oil imports, stating that TCDA was determined to tackle the issue through stronger regulation and stakeholder collab­oration.

Dr. Okrah stressed the need to prioritise smallholder farm­ers, women, and youth, who he described as the “backbone of the industry.”

He affirmed TCDA’s support for sustainable outgrower schemes, input support, and linkages to industrial markets to boost inclu­sive growth, adding that “TCDA’s continued partnership in promot­ing a globally competitive oil palm industry that delivers jobs, exports, and economic transformation.”