Ghana’s drive to shift from exporting raw agricultural produce to building value-added industries has gained fresh momentum following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and B5 Plus Limited for the establishment of a large-scale cashew processing plant.

The agreement was signed by the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, and the Executive Director of B5 Plus Limited, Mukesh Thakwani. The facility is to be developed under a Build-Operate (BO) model.

For decades, Ghana has remained a leading producer of raw cashew nuts, with much of the crop exported in its unprocessed form, limiting income opportunities for farmers and local communities. The new partnership aims to reverse this trend by strengthening local processing capacity and positioning cashew as a catalyst for job creation, income growth and industrial development.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Mr Opoku described the project as a strategic component of the government’s Feed Ghana Programme.

“Feed Ghana is not just about growing more crops; it is about building industries around what we grow,” he stated.

Under the arrangement, B5 Plus Limited will finance, design, construct and operate the processing plant at its own cost. The Ministry will provide policy coordination, facilitate access to land and support regulatory processes to ensure smooth implementation.

Beyond value addition, the project is expected to promote fair and transparent sourcing from farmers, ensure prompt payment for produce and provide skills training to enhance local technical capacity.

Industry observers believe that expanding local processing could stabilise farm-gate prices, reduce post-harvest losses and stimulate rural industrialisation, particularly in major cashew-producing regions.

Mr Opoku emphasised that local processing would help retain more value within the country. “When we process our cashew locally, we create jobs, strengthen farmers and keep Ghanaian wealth within Ghana,” he said.

Although the MoU is non-binding and subject to further agreements, it outlines a clear implementation framework, including the formation of a Joint Technical Committee to oversee the project’s development.

Reaffirming government’s commitment, the Minister declared: “The era of exporting raw potential is over. Under Feed Ghana, we are turning harvest into industry and agriculture into the engine of economic transformation.”

If successfully implemented, the initiative could signal a significant shift in Ghana’s agricultural trajectory — from exporting raw nuts to marketing finished products and from commodity dependence to value-driven industrial growth.