By Franklin Asare,GBC
Copyright gbcghanaonline
By: Franklin Asare-Donkoh
The Rubber Processors Association (RPA) of Ghana says the country’s rubber industry loses $100m annually due to unregulated export channels and lack of value addition.
The group warned that Ghana could continue to lose more than $100 million each year if urgent steps are not taken to add value to raw rubber before it is exported.
Chairman of RPA Ghana, Mr Emmanuel Akwasi Owusu, made this known on Accra-based Channel One TV on Friday, September 19, 2025.
According to him, foreign companies are exploiting Ghana’s low raw rubber prices to their benefit, while Ghana loses out on jobs and revenue.
“Now, because we are cheap in terms of $600 compared to $800 prices, they can afford to just come and take our raw rubber away. We are giving jobs to people in other countries and collapsing our economy.
The most serious thing is that every year, if we don’t add value, we are losing $100 million. When you add value to the raw rubber, which is sold at $600, you can then have an additional $900. So, if we are exporting only the raw, we are losing $900. If you multiply that by our production per year, it is $100 million. That is the ripple effect we are talking about,” he explained.
Mr Owusu further stressed that Ghana’s failure to process raw rubber locally is having devastating financial consequences.
The Association is urging stricter enforcement of existing regulations to safeguard local processors, boost value addition, and create more jobs for Ghanaians within the rubber industry.
