World Shea Expo 2026 officially opens at the Tamale Sports Stadium and surrounding venues, bringing together stakeholders, industry leaders, entrepreneurs, farmers, policymakers, and participants from all walks of life to celebrate and reimagine Ghana’s shea sector.
The three-day expo, running from September 15 to 17, is being held under the theme: “From Local Commodity to Global Brand: Accelerating Women and Youth Led Value Addition in Shea.’’
We are especially honoured to welcome our Special Guest of Honour, Her Excellency Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, the Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, whose presence underscores the importance of this event and the government’s commitment to transforming shea into a pillar of Ghana’s 24-Hour Economy.
Ahead of the official opening this morning, the Vice President is touring a 32-acre site secured for the planting of shea trees in the Nanton District of the Northern Region, a symbolic move to address the critical issue of shea parkland conservation and sustainability.
The Expo is spearheaded by Savannah Golden Tree Limited in partnership with the Presidential Initiative in Agriculture and Agribusiness (PIAA) at the Office of the President.
With support from the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA), Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), Ghana EXIM Bank, Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA), Northern Development Authority (NDA), and other partners.
World Shea Expo Bringing Together 8,000 People Across the Country
According to the Local Organising Committee, the Expo is drawing more than 8,000 participants from 16 countries, including women’s cooperatives, shea pickers and processors, youth led brands, exporters, investors, development partners, researchers, and international buyers.
The Chairman of the Local Organising Committee and Director of the West African Centre for Shea Innovation and Research (WACSIR) at the University for Development Studies, Professor Abukari Alhassan, says this year’s Expo must be more than an exhibition.
He says it must serve as a platform for investment, business partnerships, technology transfer, research collaboration, market access and policy dialogue.
“It should connect women entrepreneurs to investors, connect young innovators to industry, connect researchers to businesses and connect rural producers to global markets. It should create opportunities for African shea brands to tell their stories to the world.”
Prof. Alhassan
Activities happening live at the grounds today include a grand opening ceremony, exhibitions showcasing shea products, processing equipment and services, high level panel discussions, an investment forum linking businesses and financiers, entrepreneurship workshops for women and youth, and policy dialogues on regulation, trade and sustainability.
There are also technical presentations on quality standards, innovation, and production, live demonstrations of improved processing technologies, and business-to-business engagements designed to generate concrete linkages.
Exhibitors to Showcase Shea Products at the World Shea Expo
Organisers say the focus is deliberately on accelerating women and youth led value addition. Although shea provides income, employment and livelihood support for millions of people, particularly rural women in Northern Ghana and parts of the Oti and Bono regions.
Significant activities such as product development, packaging, branding, certification and access to premium markets are still largely undertaken away from producing communities.
Ghana currently exports over 70,000 tons of shea annually, with an estimated value of $112.6 million, yet a large portion of the higher value is captured outside the country due to limited local processing capacity.
The Director of PIAA, Dr. Peter Boamah Otokunor, who is also present at the Expo, describes the World Shea Expo as a renewed vision to position Ghana as a global leader in the shea industry through investment, innovation, value addition and women empowerment.
He recalls the success of the 2025 edition in Tamale, which attracted over 8,000 participants, featured 136 exhibitors and generated thousands of business linkages.
He reiterates government’s plan to introduce phased restrictions on the export of raw shea nuts to force more processing to take place within Ghana, a move he says will be supported by the 24-Hour Economy policy to remove time constraints on processing and reduce post-harvest losses.
Government Moves to End Raw Exports as Women Shea Pickers Receive Safety Equipment
The government, he says, is determined to change the narrative where Ghana loses value due to raw exports, under the leadership of President John Dramani Mahama.
At today’s event, some women shea pickers are also receiving Personal Protective Equipment, including Wellington boots and hand gloves, to improve productivity and ensure safety during shea picking activities.
The Ghana Enterprises Agency, which is supporting entrepreneurs in the sector, has mounted a pavilion to provide business advisory services and link women and youth-led Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises to financing and markets.
The atmosphere in Tamale today is one of celebration and business. From colourful exhibitions of shea butter, cosmetics, soaps, hair care products and edible shea products, to pitches by young innovators and field visits to shea producing communities.
The Expo is positioning shea not just as a traditional commodity, but as a global brand that can strengthen rural livelihoods and promote sustainable development across Northern Ghana.
The World Shea Expo continues until Wednesday, September 17, and is expected to climax with investment commitments, new partnerships, and a communique on policy actions to protect the shea tree and expand local value addition.
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