The National Food and Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) has entered into a strategic partnership with the Oil Palm Development Association of Ghana to ensure schools and institutions receive locally produced, high-quality vegetable and palm oils.

The collaboration comes amid growing concerns about the influx of smuggled oils into the Ghanaian market, which may be of inferior quality and potentially harmful.

Announcing the partnership, George Abradu-Otoo, Chief Executive Officer of NAFCO, emphasised the need to prioritise local production and consumption.

"We want to ensure that the oils we supply to schools are wholesome and locally sourced," he stated.

"We have to consume what we produce in this country and make sure what we produce in this country is what we consume."

Under the new arrangement, all suppliers of vegetable and palm oil to schools will be required to register with the Oil Palm Development Association to guarantee locally sourced products.

Paul Kwame Aminu, President of the Oil Palm Development Association, highlighted the threat posed by smuggled oils.

"Smugglers are taking advantage of the tax component and supplying oil in the market, affecting local producers," he explained.

The partnership will implement a blockchain-based traceability system to monitor oil supplies to schools, ensuring transparency and quality control.

"We have a traceability system that we can extend to suppliers to track oil supplies," Aminu added.

The initiative aligns with the government's planned 500 million Ghana Cedis investment in the oil palm sector, as will be announced in the forthcoming budget, signalling strong support for local agricultural development and food safety standards.