The Ghana Exports Promotion Authority (GETA) has disclosed that the country recorded a strong performance in the Non-Traditional Export (NTE) sector in 2025 with earnings rising significantly.
GEPA said that said in its 2025 Non-Traditional Exports Statistics Report, total NTE earnings increased to $5.006 billion in 2025, up from $3.83 billion in 2024, representing a 30.7% growth.
The growth was largely driven by higher exports of processed cocoa products, particularly cocoa butter and cocoa powder, which benefited from strong global demand from industries such as chocolate manufacturing, beverages and cosmetics.
The report also identified the Netherlands as Ghana’s top destination for non-traditional exports in 2025, with imports rising sharply from $477.4 million in 2024 to $831.1 million in 2025.
Additionally, exports of aluminium plates, sheets and coils recorded notable growth, supported by the expansion of Ghana’s downstream aluminium industry. Firms such as Volta Aluminium Company Limited (VALCO) contributed to the increase by producing products that meet international standards, including those required in European markets.
Despite the strong growth in earnings, the report noted that the share of non-traditional exports in Ghana’s total exports declined to 16.1% in 2025, down from 18.75% in 2024.
This was mainly because traditional exports, particularly minerals and raw cocoa beans, grew at a faster pace during the period.
Over the longer term, however, the NTE sector has maintained steady progress. A ten-year trend analysis shows that Ghana’s non-traditional exports expanded at an average annual growth rate of 7.53% between 2016 and 2025, reinforcing the sector’s importance in diversifying the country’s export base.