Building Climate Resilience and Value-Addition for Groundnut in Northern Ghana- the Ubuntu Way
Written by Gilbert Nkpeniyeng
Imagine a world where everyone has access to the information and resources they need to progress in their chosen field. Imagine a world where everyone receives fair compensation for their hard work.
In recent decades, the global impact of climate change has been profound, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa and other developing regions. West Africa, and northern Ghana in particular, has seen a significant decline in food production, with peasant farmers bearing the brunt of this crisis. Despite numerous global initiatives to address these challenges, the most affected—especially in terms of food security—are often the small-scale farmers.
While many farmers are aware of climate change through direct experience, few understand how to navigate its effects. Many remain unaware of how their everyday practices might worsen the situation and are equally uncertain about what actions can help mitigate the impact of climate change on their livelihoods.
Ubuntu Social Enterprise Ghana (USE GH) is committed to changing this narrative by focusing on two key objectives: (1) ensuring that farmers receive fair compensation for their hard work, and (2) equipping them with the knowledge they need to mitigate the effects of climate change. They believe that small, targeted actions can have a profound impact on solving big problems.
Having grown up in northern Ghana, I have seen first-hand how middlemen often exploit farmers, offering unfair prices for their produce. At Ubuntu, the aim is to change this by purchasing produce directly from farmers and offering them competitive, fair prices. This approach not only helps farmers increase their profits but also relieves them of the stress and costs associated with transporting their goods to market.
Currently, the focus is on groundnut farmers. Over 90% of groundnuts produced in Ghana come from the northern Ghana, where more than two-thirds of peasant farmers rely on groundnuts for both consumption and income generation.
The journey of Ubuntu began with a seed funding grant from the Wells Mountain Initiative, allowing the organisation to pilot a direct-purchase model for groundnuts. In the first year, we built strong relationships with farmers, which revealed a significant gap in their knowledge of climate change. In response, we introduced climate-smart agriculture training sessions during the second year. These sessions, though small-scale, offer farmers practical strategies they can adopt—or practices they should avoid—to reduce the impact of climate change on their production. We also address post-harvest losses, as nearly 10% of the groundnuts produced in the region are typically lost during harvesting.
These small yet crucial steps have already yielded impressive results. Farmers have reported increases in both income and productivity, along with a better understanding of climate-resilient farming practices.
However, another critical challenge has emerged: the limited commercial value- addition for groundnuts in northern Ghana. Despite producing over 90% of the country’s groundnuts, very few commercial efforts exist to convert them into value-added products. Most groundnuts are sold raw, with minimal small-scale processing for household consumption.
Ubuntu is addressing this challenge by establishing the first-ever commercial value- adding hub for groundnuts in northern Ghana. This facility will process groundnuts into finished, nutritious products such as oil, snack packages, groundnut butter, and paste.
Overall, this initiative aims to enhance food security and nutrition, increase production through knowledge sharing on sustainable and climate resilient farming practices and create meaningful agricultural opportunities and jobs to improve many lives in the region.
We are grateful to King’s E-Lab and the University of Cambridge Mastercard Foundation Scholars Programme team for supporting our vision and helping bring these concepts to life. However, our current research reveals that it will take several years of revenue mobilisation to purchase the target complete equipment for the hub. We invite anyone interested to join us on this journey. Your support will enable us to expand our operations and continue improving the livelihoods of peasant farmers in northern Ghana with a strong entrepreneurial and social impact mindset.
Gilbert Nkpeniyeng
Gilbert Nkpeniyeng is the founder of Ubuntu Social Enterprise Ghana and a 2024 graduate of MPhil in Development Studies from the University of Cambridge. As a development enthusiast, Gilbert believes that small steps matter in creating a sustainable future for all. He has worked on different sustainable development initiatives in his line of duty as an NGO employee in Ghana. Currently he works as the Development Research Officer for Wolfson College, Cambridge. Gilbert has an eye on creating sustainable solutions to problems in Ghana, and Africa more broadly, through networks and collaboration.