The World Bank is set to intensify its engagement in Ghana’s oil palm sector through a comprehensive scoping mission, following the announcement of major policy interventions for the industry in the 2026 Budget.
The exercise, undertaken in collaboration with the Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA), is expected to shape the next phase of targeted support for one of the country’s most strategic tree crops.
The week long mission will take the team to key industrial operators including Benso Oil Palm Plantation PLC and Twifo Oil Palm Plantations (TOPP) in the Western and Central Regions.
Officials will also tour artisanal processing centres to interact with women processors and smallholder farmers who provide the bulk of Ghana’s oil palm output. The World Bank describes the move as part of efforts to ensure that future interventions are informed by both industrial realities and the challenges faced by rural producers.
The mission comes days after Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson presented the 2026 Budget to Parliament, outlining government’s ambition to achieve national self-sufficiency in palm oil production by 2032.
Under the newly launched National Policy on Integrated Oil Palm Development, Ghana plans to cultivate more than 100,000 hectares of new plantations and create an estimated 250,000 direct and indirect jobs over the seven year period.
Dr Forson stressed that the initiative would be led by the Tree Crops Development Authority in partnership with the Oil Palm Research Institute and private sector stakeholders. He acknowledged that oil palm cultivation requires long-term investment and cannot rely on conventional financing sources. “To address this, we are establishing a Dedicated US$500 million Oil Palm Development Finance Window. Conventional short-term commercial loans are ill-suited for a crop that takes nearly seven years to reach full maturity,” he said.
The US$500 million facility, developed with support from the World Bank, other development finance institutions and the Development Bank Ghana, is intended to unlock patient capital for expansion, rehabilitation and value addition within the oil palm industry.
TCDA officials say the expanded World Bank scoping mission will provide critical technical insight into the sector’s needs and help align the forthcoming financial window with the realities on the ground. The tour is also expected to inform future policy adjustments as Ghana works to build a competitive, sustainable and inclusive oil palm industry.
With rising domestic demand and a significant import bill, government sees the sector as a major opportunity for rural transformation, industrial growth and export diversification. The World Bank’s renewed involvement is expected to reinforce this long-term agenda and accelerate implementation of the new national policy.
