Government and Unilever today announced a Joint Vision to transform the Twifo Oil Palm Plantation (TOPP) into a state-of-the-art sustainable palm oil plantation.
Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and Unilever Global CEO, Paul Polman, agreed on a Joint Vision, outlining their support for the development of a sustainable palm oil industry in Ghana.
Under this Joint Vision, Unilever and the Government of Ghana will work together to develop the plantation, support smallholder farmers, and help ensure a positive impact on the local economy.
Dr Bawumia commended Unilever for the support it has offered the Ghanaian economy over the years through its continuous presence and operations in Ghana.
“Your company is a household name on account of the special contributions you have made to job creation and production of top quality brands and products for the Ghanaian market,” he said.
He reiterated that government would continue to create the enabling environment for partnerships with the private sector for growth.
Sector Minister for Food and Agriculture Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto confirmed that the Akufo-Addo government is serious about plans to transform and modernise operations of the Agricultural sector to position it as a viable entity that generates sustainable jobs for the economy.
He added ”We intend to harness opportunities in the Agro-processing and manufacturing industries and are indeed delighted about Unilever’s commitment in support of our vision to initiate Public-Private Partnerships as vehicles for executing this task.
“This specific cooperation will focus on the development of a leading edge Palm Oil plantation and downstream industry.”
Unilever CEO Paul Polman said “The transformation of TOPP into a sustainable palm oil plantation will support our business, as well as smallholder agriculture and economic growth in Ghana.
“We are delighted to work with the Government of Ghana and other stakeholders to realise this ambitious vision and ensure that TOPP is a sustainable operation that serves as best practice for palm oil on the African continent.”
This is Mr. Polman’s third visit to Ghana in the last four years.
The African President of Unilever, Bruno Witvoet, Director of Communications, accompanied him and Corporate Affairs for Africa, Dougie Brew, Executive Vice President for Unilever Ghana and Nigeria, Yaw Nsarkoh, Managing Director of Unilever Ghana, Ziobeieton Yeo and some selected members of the Ghana-Nigeria Leadership team.
Paul Polman also visited the Unilever Ghana factory site in Tema where he interacted with the Board, management and staff of the facility.