Tanchara: The Joe-Bailor NGO, a Non-governmental Organisation, has launched a Baobab seedling distribution programme as part of efforts to promote commercial Baobab cultivation to help enhance local economies and promote women's empowerment. The initiative aims at building a future where Baobab will be recognized not as a wild and neglected tree, but as a strategic dryland crop of significant economic and nutritional value.
According to Ghana News Agency, Mr. David Nibe, the Executive Director of Joe-Bailor NGO, expressed optimism in the economic transformative power of Baobab among the people, particularly women and youth. Speaking on his behalf at the project launch in Tanchara, Lawra Municipality, he emphasized laying a foundation for an inclusive and dignifying Baobab economy through improved grafted Baobab seedlings, processing hubs, support for farmers, and access to international markets.
The NGO has commenced distributing grafted early fruiting Baobab seedlings to farmer cooperatives in the Tanchara area, with an expectation of distributing approximately 1,500 seedlings. The programme is set to expand across northern Ghana. Mr. Nibe highlighted Baobab as a climate-resilient and drought-tolerant opportunity crop, with all parts of the tree having valuable uses.
Baobab's demand is increasing in Europe, the US, and Asia for superfoods, plant-based drinks, organic cosmetics, and ethical ingredients, with its global market value projected to rise from USD7.2 billion in 2020 to USD10.2 billion by 2027. Mr. Nibe noted that with suitable policy support, Ghana, particularly the north, could spearhead Africa's Baobab revolution.
Mr. Nibe also stressed the importance of empowering rural women through this initiative while promoting social safeguards, such as eliminating child labor, ensuring gender equity, and respecting human rights in farming communities. He recognized barriers like dependence on wild Baobab as hindrances to realizing its full economic potential.
A breakthrough by researchers at Ho Technical University, led by Professor Kenneth Fafa Egbadzor, has engineered Baobab seedlings to fruit within four years, significantly reducing the conventional fruiting period. This research, which began in 2018, has gained international interest, affirming the Baobab tree's potential.
Prof. Egbadzor appealed for donor support to advance the initiative, emphasizing its potential to become a vital cash crop, contributing to food security, biodiversity, and climate resilience. Naa Naalu-Kuyi Waale II, the chief of Tanchara, applauded the efforts of the Joe Bailor NGO and the research team, expressing optimism about the initiative's impact on the community.
The launch was attended by various stakeholders, including representatives from the Babile Agricultural Research Station, Upper West Regional Director of Cooperatives, Tree Crops Development Authority, and the Lawra Municipal Assembly.
