World Shea Expo To Attract Veep, 8k Participants

Vice-President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang will be the distinguished guest of honor at the upcoming 2026 World Shea Expo, set to take place in Tamale, Northern Region from September 15 to 17, 2026. The expo, themed "From Local Commodity to Global Brand: Accelerating Women and Youth-Led Value Addition in Shea", aims to revolutionize the shea industry by fostering value addition led by women and youth.

President John Dramani Mahama has given his full support to the event, organized by Savannah Golden Tree Limited and the Presidential Initiatives in Agriculture and Agribusiness. Before the expo begins, the Vice-President will visit a 32-acre plot of land designated for shea tree cultivation in Nanton District, Northern Region. With over 8,000 participants expected from various sectors of the shea value chain, including harvesters, global investors, and industry professionals, the expo promises to be a significant event in the shea sector.

Organizers hope the expo will not only serve as a platform for showcasing shea products but also as an opportunity for investment, partnerships, technology transfer, research collaboration, market access, and policy dialogue. The goal is to connect women entrepreneurs with investors, young innovators with industry, researchers with businesses, and rural producers with global markets.

Prof. Abukari Alhassan, the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee and Director of the West African Centre for Shea Innovation and Research, emphasized the need to move beyond the traditional shea business model and create more value from shea while ensuring a greater share of that value reaches the communities that sustain the resource.