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An estimated 1.8 million metric tonnes of cashew apples go to waste annually on farms in the Bono Region due to the lack of processing factories, the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) has revealed.
The situation persists despite the region accounting for about 44 per cent of Ghana's cashew production, leaving millions of cedis in potential value addition untapped.
The Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the GIPC, Abdul Razak Baba, disclosed this at the Bono Regional Investment and Industrial Transformation forum in Sunyani last Tuesday.
"Although Bono Region produced nearly half of Ghana's cashew, about 90 per cent of raw cashew nuts were exported without processing, while millions of metric tonnes of cashew apples were left to rot annually,” he stated.
In that regard, the centre is stepping up efforts to attract local and foreign investors to establish processing plants in the region to unlock jobs, boost exports and transform the region into a major agro-industrial hub.
The forum was organised on the theme: "Driving Local Investment - Unlocking Regional Potential: Mapping Opportunities and Mobilising Growth in the Bono Region".
It brought together hundreds of investors, business leaders, development partners and traditional authorities to showcase the region's investment opportunities.
Mr Baba said although Ghana had attracted more than $52 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) between 1994 and 2025, the region had secured only about $56 million, representing 0.1 per cent of the total inflows.
The gathering
He said the centre was determined to reverse the trend through regional investment roadshows aimed at highlighting opportunities outside Accra and encouraging investors to establish businesses in underserved regions.
Mr Baba said despite the region's enormous investment opportunities, they had not been sufficiently promoted to investors, making the regional investment roadshows necessary to showcase the area's potential.
He said the region's strategic location connecting northern and southern Ghana, its proximity to Côte d'Ivoire, fertile agricultural lands, abundant natural resources and the Sunyani Airport positioned it as an attractive destination for investment.
Mr Baba identified cashew processing as one of the biggest investment opportunities.
He urged investors to establish processing facilities to produce cashew kernels, juice, wine and other value-added products, explaining that such investments would create jobs, increase export earnings and improve farmers' incomes.
Beyond cashew, Mr Baba highlighted opportunities in maize aggregation and logistics, timber processing, furniture manufacturing, eco-tourism and hospitality, describing the region as one of Ghana's most promising investment destinations.
He announced a range of incentives available to investors, including a 10-year corporate tax holiday for companies operating under the Free Zones programme and exporting at least 70 per cent of their products, after which they would pay a reduced corporate tax rate of 15 per cent instead of the standard 25 per cent.
He added that investors in agriculture, manufacturing, affordable housing and waste processing also qualified for tax concessions, import duty exemptions and location-based incentives designed to encourage investment outside Accra.
The Regional Minister, Joseph Addae Akwaboa, said the region was ready to partner the private sector to transform its agricultural strength into industrial growth.
He urged Municipal and District Assemblies (MDAs) to identify and package investment-ready projects in agriculture, tourism, manufacturing, renewable energy, logistics and commercial real estate to enable the GIPC to connect investors with viable opportunities.
Mr Akwaboa said the initiative aligned with the government's 24-Hour Economy agenda, adding that increased private sector investment would help establish agro-processing factories, logistics hubs and export-oriented industries capable of creating sustainable employment.
The CEO of Kofi Vinyo Company Ltd, Kofi Vinyo, described the tigernut value chain as one of Ghana's most underdeveloped agribusiness sectors despite rising global demand for organic, gluten-free and plant-based foods.
He said more than 70 per cent of tigernuts produced in Africa were sold raw with little or no value addition, leaving farmers with lower incomes while limiting Africa's participation in the expanding global market.
Mr Vinyo said inadequate processing, limited certified organic production and post-harvest losses continued to constrain growth in the sector.
He called for investment in processing and value addition to unlock its full economic potential.
