Oil Palm Development Association of Ghana (OPDAG) has inaugurated its Council of Patrons in Accra
The council is chaired by Nana Otuo Serebour II who is serving as the Chairman of the Council of the State.
There are four main objectives of OPDAG. These include protecting the environment (ensuring the adaptation and implementation of sustainable practices as prescribed by RSPO); increased productivity (championing measures to improve yield of smallholders and implement sustainable agricultural practices); land access (making land acquisition easy and attractive for investors) and trade malpractices (halting the negative effect of imported vegetable oil on the refining sector).
The president of OPDAG Samuel Avaala said that the association had launched a strategic plan for the 2020-2024 period to improve its governance, administrative structure as well as funding to establish an ‘auditable financial management system.’
The plan itself was developed through collaboration and consensus building with veritable representatives from actors along the oil palm value chain. It also identifies and captures all information including the strength, weakness, opportunities, and threats of the association and the entire oil palm sector. The strategic plan expected to improve the membership base and service delivery as well as internal and external communication.
OPDAG was launched in 2015 to help address the challenges facing the oil palm sector such as weak palm oil value chain integration, inadequate funding and modern technology, hindrances to land acquisition, and many more. It is also committed to socially responsible and ecologically sustainable production of palm oil in Ghana.