Ghana moving beyond raw commodity exports to local processing – Trade Minister

The Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, has called for stronger partnerships between Ghana and the European Union (EU) to boost agribusiness investment, promote local processing and create jobs.

She said Ghana must move beyond exporting raw commodities and focus on adding value to its agricultural products to strengthen its competitiveness in international markets.

The minister made the call at the opening of the EU-Ghana Agribusiness Exhibition Forum and Trade Mission 2026 in Accra on Wednesday, October 28, where she urged European investors to explore opportunities in Ghana’s agribusiness sector.

In a social media post a day after, Mrs Ofosu-Adjare said Ghana’s record US$5 billion in non-traditional exports in 2025 presented an opportunity to expand local processing and develop more competitive export products.

“With Ghana recording a record US$5 billion in non-traditional exports in 2025, we must move beyond exporting raw commodities to adding value locally and developing competitive export products,” she stated.

She encouraged European investors to establish joint ventures, set up local processing facilities and support supplier development programmes to strengthen Ghana’s agricultural value chain.

The minister also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supporting agribusinesses, improving access to finance and using the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to expand market opportunities for Ghanaian businesses.

According to her, stronger Ghana-EU cooperation could help attract investment, facilitate technology transfer and create employment opportunities while improving the quality and competitiveness of locally processed products.

“Our focus is to process more locally, create jobs and build a competitive, export-driven agribusiness sector,” she added.