Oro Oil CEO urges decentralised use of $500m World Bank oil palm fund

Dr Maxwell Commey, Chief Executive Officer of Oro Oil Ghana Limited, has urged the government to prioritise smallholder farmers and community-level processing in deploying the US$500 million World Bank-supported Oil Palm Development Finance Window.

He said a decentralised approach would spread economic benefits, create jobs and promote inclusive growth, while strengthening Ghana’s palm oil value chain.

Dr Commey, a crude palm oil exporter with more than 27 years of industrial experience across Europe and Africa, said the financing presented an opportunity to expand production beyond large, centralised plantations.

He argued that a project involving more than 100,000 hectares of plantations and an estimated 300,000 jobs could not be concentrated in just two regions.

“Ghana’s palm oil sector is already largely smallholder-driven, accounting for the majority of fresh fruit bunches and a significant share of crude palm oil,” he said.

“The US$500 million World Bank facility, designed with long-term concessional financing and a focus on sustainable development, presents a historic opportunity to build on this foundation by decentralising production and processing.”

Dr Commey, a former two-term Board Member of the Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA) and National Executive Member of the Oil Palm Development Association of Ghana (OPDAG), said the facility should support commercial viability, employment, smallholder inclusion and development across the value chain.

Proposes 70:30 funding allocation

Dr Commey proposed allocating 70% of the financing to existing mills, based on their capacity, and 30% to smallholder and outgrower schemes.

He said strengthening existing mills while supporting smaller producers would help expand processing capacity, improve smallholder incomes and create employment opportunities, particularly for women and rural youth.

The approach, he said, could stimulate economic activity across the Western, Central, Ashanti, Eastern, Volta and Oti regions, as well as parts of Bono East and Ahafo.

He added that decentralisation could accelerate implementation within the planned 10-year period by enabling stronger community partnerships and improving access to land for sustainable plantation development.

Other potential benefits, according to Dr Commey, include improved food security, reduced dependence on imported palm oil and lower foreign exchange pressures.

Processing fresh fruit bunches closer to farms could also reduce transportation costs and post-harvest losses while improving oil quality.

He said modern, energy-efficient local processing technologies, including biogas systems, could reduce smoke pollution and emissions, while improving yields on existing farmland.

A dispersed network of farmers and processors, he added, would also be more resilient to disruptions and support balanced regional development by keeping value addition within rural communities.

Financing can support mills and outgrower schemes

Dr Commey said the World Bank-backed facility, which he described as offering patient capital suited to oil palm’s long gestation period and support for up to 70% of project costs, could finance community mills, smallholder partnerships, rural infrastructure and cleaner processing technologies.

He also cited improved seedlings, mechanisation, credit and guaranteed offtake as forms of support that could strengthen the sector.

He said the approach aligned with the National Policy on Integrated Oil Palm Development, which seeks to expand sustainable production, create jobs and position Ghana as a regional palm oil hub.

“Large centralised plantations have their place, but history shows that well-supported smallholder and decentralised systems deliver broader livelihood gains and more inclusive growth,” he said.

“By channelling this World Bank financing towards decentralisation — paired with access to quality inputs, extension services, gender-inclusive associations, and transparent markets — we can unlock rural prosperity, strengthen supply chains, and move decisively towards self-sufficiency.”

Dr Commey called on the government, the TCDA, Development Bank Ghana and private-sector players to prioritise inclusive, decentralised models in deploying the facility.

He said Oro Oil Ghana Limited remained committed to sustainable palm oil production, stakeholder partnerships and national development.

About Oro Oil Ghana Limited

Oro Oil Ghana Limited is an integrated agro-industrial company specialising in oil palm cultivation and processing. The company, which describes itself as a multiple award-winning crude palm oil exporter, says it has created more than 300 direct and indirect jobs while advancing sustainable agro-industrial practices in the Eastern Region. It aims to become a leading sustainable palm oil producer in West Africa.