Overview

In 2022, Ghana imported $2.6 billion in agricultural and related products. Imports from the United States ($125.4 million) constituted about five percent of the total import value.

Ghana is strategically located and serves as a good transshipment point for food and beverages meant for the greater West Africa market. U.S. grocery items entering Ghana can be re-exported to neighboring West African countries (a market of over 431 million people).

Most consumers in Ghana are price sensitive, but quality is never overlooked, and the growing middle class values premium products. There is high demand for imported food products, especially intermediate, and consumer-ready products, due to the limited selection of products provided by the underdeveloped domestic agricultural and food-processing sector. 

Sub-Sector Best Prospects:

Ghana remains a major importer of food products, with imports of agricultural and related products estimated to have reached $2.6 billion in 2022. Food and agricultural imports will continue to grow as Ghana’s underdeveloped food processing sector is unable to meet increasing demand. Food imports include bulk, intermediate, and consumer-oriented commodities such as rice, wheat, soybean meal, and poultry. U.S. exports of agricultural and related products to Ghana in 2022 were valued at $125.4 million, a decrease of 19.0 percent from the preceding year’s value ($155.2 million).

Although U.S. exports to Ghana had mostly been rice, poultry, and wheat, exports of U.S. consumer-oriented food products reached an all-time high of $127.2 million in 2021. Based on year-over-year growth in 2022, the 10 best U.S. high-value consumer-oriented product prospects categories for the Ghanaian market in descending order are: 1) beer; 2) processed fruit; 3) sugar, sweeteners, beverage bases; 4) fresh vegetables; 5) seafood products; 6) wine and related products; 7) pet food; 8) processed vegetables; 9) fruit and vegetable juices; and 10) food preparations.

The 2022 top 10 leading suppliers of agricultural and related products to Ghana in descending order are China, Brazil, Netherlands, Turkey, and Canada. The United States, India, Côte d’Ivoire, Malaysia, and Belgium are the remaining suppliers. Imports of consumer-oriented food from the European Union remain strong.

Table 1: Ghana’s Agricultural and Related Imports for 2018-2022 (in millions of dollars)

Source: Trade Data Monitor LLC, 2023

Table 2: Ghana’s BICO Imports for 2018-2022 (in millions of dollars)

Source: Trade Data Monitor LLC, 2023

Opportunities

• Growing middle class driving consumption of high value food products
• Demand for intermediate products due to growing food processing industry
• Entry and growth of U.S. fast food franchise
• Relatively good infrastructure: ports, airport, and roads
• Consumers looking for ready-to-eat products as per capita income grows
• Country remains the ideal regional distribution logistics hub
• Increasing preference for American lifestyle due to ties with relatives in the United States
• Growing tourism and corporate hotel industry

Information Resources

Ghana Statistics Service, Economist Intelligence Unit, Global Agricultural Trade System, Trade Data Monitor LLC.

Contact: Office of Agricultural Affairs, U.S. Embassy Accra. At AgAccra@usda.gov; Telephone: +233-030-274-1000.