The Central Regional Minister, Hon. Ekow Okyere Panyin Eduamoah, has unveiled plans to harness the vast but largely untapped potential of palm nut cultivation as a strategic pillar of the government’s “Red Economy” agenda, aimed at boosting job creation, rural development, and agro-industrial growth in the region.
Speaking at a stakeholder engagement with traditional authorities and MMDCEs from key palm nut-growing districts in collaboration with the Land Bank Secretariat of the Lands Commission at the Regional Coordinating Council , the Minister emphasized that the Central Region possesses fertile lands, favorable climatic conditions, and a long history of palm cultivation.
According to the Minister, the Red Economy—anchored on agriculture, agro-processing, and value addition—presents a unique opportunity to transform palm nut cultivation from subsistence farming into a thriving commercial enterprise capable of absorbing thousands of unemployed youth.
“Palm nut cultivation is not just about farming; it is about jobs, industry, and wealth creation and we seek to engage the traditional authorities for ease in government acquisition of lands."
"From nurseries and plantations to processing, packaging, transportation, and export, the palm nut value chain offers enormous employment opportunities that we must deliberately exploit," Hon. Ekow Panyin Okyere Eduamoah noted.
Despite the Central Region’s natural suitability for oil palm production, much of the sector remains informal, with low yields, outdated farming practices, and limited access to improved seedlings and processing facilities. As a result, the region contributes only a fraction of its potential to national palm oil output.
The Minister noted that the government, in collaboration with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and private sector partners, intends to roll out targeted interventions to reverse this trend. These include the distribution of improved palm seedlings, farmer training programs, access to extension services, and the establishment of modern processing centers across key palm-growing districts.
Under the Red Economy framework, special emphasis will be placed on value addition, ensuring that raw palm nuts are processed locally into palm oil, kernel oil, soaps, cosmetics, and other by-products rather than being sold cheaply at the farm gate.
Available information to Sompa News indicates that players in the traditional palm oil processing, are expected to benefit from improved technologies that reduce drudgery, increase output, and enhance product quality to meet both local and export standards.
The Minister further assured stakeholders that the initiative would be guided by environmentally responsible practices, including sustainable land use, replanting programs, and climate-smart farming methods to prevent deforestation and land degradation.
President of the Central Regional House Of Chiefs who doubles as Paramount Chief of the Breman Traditional Area, Odeefuo Amoakwa Boadu VIII, expressed the readiness of chiefs in the region for this initiative by the government.
"We don't wrestle with power but we are actors of development for our people so we will support the government for this initiative as it seek to alleviate unemployment in the country," he disclosed.
Hon. Eduamoah reaffirmed that the success of the Red Economy will depend on coordinated efforts among government agencies, traditional authorities, and local communities.
Sompaonline.com//Eric Annan