President John Dramani Mahama has welcomed a policy proposal by the Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA) that would require senior public officials to own and manage tree crop plantations to promote job creation and economic growth.
Speaking at the opening of the 2026 Tree Crops Investment Summit and Exhibition in Accra, the President said it was long overdue for public office holders to lead by example by investing in agriculture, particularly tree crops with strong economic value.
He disclosed that he owned a 50-acre cocoa farm and had recently begun developing a 100-acre oil palm plantation.
“Public servants, ministers, priests, clergymen and traditional rulers should all engage in agriculture. We must walk the talk and lead by example. We cannot always ask people to go back to the land when we are not doing so ourselves,” he said.
President Mahama noted that building economic resilience required reducing over-reliance on single commodity exports, stressing that tree crops were critical to the government’s agricultural transformation agenda.
Under the proposed Mandatory Tree Crop Cultivation Policy, public servants, civil servants, Members of Parliament, Ministers of State and government appointees would be required to own at least 25 acres of tree crops suited to their ecological zones.
The TCDA said compliance with the policy could become a criterion for public appointments or qualification to contest parliamentary elections.
Dr Andy Osei Okrah, the Chief Executive Officer of the TCDA, said the initiative, if adopted, could increase export earnings by 20 to 30 per cent and create up to 500,000 jobs by 2030.
He said tree crop investments would also provide long-term financial security for public servants after retirement.
The TCDA, which focuses on the development of cashew, coconut, oil palm, rubber, mango and shea, has outlined interventions under five strategic pillars.
These are production expansion, productivity improvement, industrial growth and value addition, regulatory and standards strengthening, and data and digital systems.
By Issah Mohammed, GNA