Apataim Cassava Factory Opens in Western Region to Boost Farmers' Incomes and Cut Post-Harvest Losses

A cassava processing factory in the Apataim area of the Evalue Ajomoro Gwira Constituency in Ghana's Western Region has been officially commissioned, offering a significant boost to the local agricultural economy. The facility is expected to add value to cassava produced in the area, cut post-harvest losses, and generate employment opportunities for farmers and processors who have long depended on raw produce sales for their income.

What happened at the commissioning

The commissioning ceremony took place on Tuesday, 27 October 2026, bringing together key figures from the constituency and the wider Nzema East Municipal area. The Member of Parliament for Evalue Ajomoro Gwira, Kofi Arko Nokoe, and the Municipal Chief Executive for Nzema East, Herbert Kuah Dickson, were both present to mark the occasion.

MP Nokoe used the event to express appreciation to the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and the Climate Adaptive Living Facility, the two organisations whose sponsorship and technical support made the project possible. He described the factory as a direct response to the development needs of the local community, and a demonstration of how meaningful partnerships between government, international bodies, and local stakeholders can deliver tangible results on the ground.

Why it matters for Ghana

Ghana is one of Africa's leading cassava producers, yet a persistent challenge across the country has been the inability to process enough of the harvest before it spoils. Post-harvest losses in root and tuber crops like cassava remain a serious drag on farmers' incomes and on national food security. Factories like the one commissioned at Apataim are part of a broader push to build out Ghana's agricultural value chain — moving the economy away from raw commodity exports and towards processed goods that command higher prices and create more local jobs.

The Evalue Ajomoro Gwira Constituency, located in the Nzema East area of the Western Region, is predominantly rural, with agriculture forming the backbone of most households' livelihoods. A local cassava processing facility means farmers no longer have to sell their produce cheaply at farm gate or risk losing it entirely. Instead, they gain access to a reliable off-taker, and the community gains employment in processing, packaging and distribution.

The involvement of the UNCDF and the Climate Adaptive Living Facility also signals that the project has a climate-resilience dimension. Improving local food processing capacity helps communities adapt to the unpredictability of rainfall and harvest seasons, reducing their vulnerability to climate shocks — a concern that is increasingly urgent across Ghana's farming regions.

The road ahead

MP Nokoe reaffirmed his commitment to continuing work with development partners and other stakeholders to deepen economic opportunities across the constituency. He framed the factory not as an endpoint but as a foundation — one that should inspire further investment in the agricultural value chain in the Western Region and beyond.

• Local farmers are expected to benefit directly through stable demand for their cassava harvest and better farmgate prices.
• The factory is anticipated to create both direct and indirect employment, supporting processors, transporters and traders in the surrounding communities.
• Observers will be watching to see whether the facility operates at full capacity and whether similar projects can be replicated in other cassava-growing constituencies across Ghana.

The commissioning of the Apataim factory is a reminder that Ghana's economic transformation is often built community by community — and that international development finance, when matched with local political will, can deliver lasting change at the grassroots level.