Dried Fruits Ghana

Demand for dried tropical fruits in Europe is growing, creating export opportunities for Ghana. CBI's Ghana Dried Fruits project supports small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the dried fruit sector. The goal is to create jobs for young people.

Together with Ghanaian companies, we will work on: 

• improving production capacity;
• obtaining certification for the European market;
• meeting food safety and sustainability standards;
• creating decent working conditions;
• creating job opportunities for youth.

Project details

This CBI project started in 2023 and will run until June 2028. In the long term, the goal is for Ghana's dried fruit sector to create stable and decent jobs for youth. The project goals are the following:

• Improve processes and adopt new technologies to address productivity and product quality.
• Facilitate access to the EU market through training, expert support, joint exports, and certification.
• Professionalise operations through improving employment terms and working conditions. An example is formalisation, with special attention for youth.
• Install systems to enhance workforce skills development and retention for young workers.
• Strengthen access to quality raw materials through structural relationships with farmers.
• Improve access to finance.
• Public and private service providers develop financially viable services.
• Sector stakeholders establish a modality for improved sector coordination.

Project participants and products

A total of 12 companies are participating in this export coaching project.

• Agropal West Africa Limited: Dried Mango, Dried Pineapple
• Benyima Farms Ltd: Dried and Freeze-Dried Mango, Fruit Juice
• Bodukwan Multi Fruit Processing Limited:  Dried Mango, Dried Pineapple, Banana Chips, Coconut Products
• Fruveg Farms Ltd. Co.: Dried mango, dried pineapple
• GKV Investments: Dried mango, coconut chips
• Groital Company Limited: Dried mango, Dried Pineapple, Coconut Products, Dried Banana
• Integrated Tamale Fruit Company Ltd. (ITFC): Dried mango
• Mekane Ltd: Dried Mango, Dried Pineapple
• Nano Foods Ltd: Dried Pineapple, Canned Pineapple
• Ohumpong Investments Co Ltd: Dried Mango
• Pure and Just co. Ltd (Yvaya Farmd Dried fruit): Dried Mango, Dried Pineapple, Dried Papaya, Dried Banana
• Quarcoo Initiavites Company Limited: Dried Pineapple, Citrus Slices, Citrus Peels, Dried Ginger

Please contact one of these exporters for more information. Or email CBI at agriculture@cbi.eu. 

Partners

In this project, CBI works together with Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA). In 2025, we will confirm our other partners in the field of youth employment and training.

Project activities 

During the inception phase, starting in 2023, we focused on the following activities:   

• Conducted an assessment to understand employment and skills gaps;
• Identified potential partners, such as universities and agricultural colleges;
• Developed strategies for youth skills training, certification, export coaching, and sector collaboration;
• Organised training and a Market Orientation Mission (MOM) in the Netherlands and France. This benefitted 11 dried fruit companies;
• Encouraged collaboration among SMEs. This included pooled shipments and events, supporting selected and non-selected firms;
• Highlighted global market opportunities for dried fruits;
• Emphasised the need for innovation and coordinated efforts. This helped to address production challenges.

In the next phase, we will focus on the following activities:

• Helping young employees and graduates start careers in fruit processing. This includes skills training, better curricula, job formalization, and improved working conditions.
• Selected SMEs will attend trade fairs and connect with European buyers.
• SMEs will receive further capacity building to improve their production (volumes) and product quality.
• SMEs will work on CSR improvements at company level, including HR practices and improved working conditions.
• We will help identify and develop supporting services for the Ghanaian dried fruits sector.
• We will support and strengthen sector coordination and sector branding.

Results 

This project started with an inception phase from July 2023 until December 2024. During the inception phase, we audited 25 companies and selected 12 SMEs for the project. CBI aims to support a wider group of SMEs in the sector by opening up some of the project activities to a broader audience. Training and capacity building has started and will continue in the implementation phase of the project. 

CBI has conducted a market system development (MSD) research. The goal was to investigate the functioning of the Ghana Dried Fruits sector and the youth component. This research has identified key service areas in which the project can support the sector, such as certification, access to finance and quality raw materials. For youth engagement and job creation, CBI will develop targeted activities together with stakeholders in education and skills development in Ghana.

Lessons learnt 

CBI's learning goals for this project are:

• Understand how growth of productivity and exports by SMEs can generate employment opportunities for youth.
• Learn how best to give youth a voice at the various levels of the value chain;
• Learn how to best cooperate with other Dutch activities in Ghana (PADEO + Combi-approach).

Get involved as an importer

Are you a European importer and interested in dried fruits from SMEs in Ghana? Contact CBI via agriculture@cbi.eu to get more information or to meet with suppliers from this project who we are training to export to Europe.