By Francis Ntow, GNA
Accra, July 31, GNA – Pangea Africa Ltd (Pangea) and Black Star Africa Ltd (BSA), investors in agribusiness and agro-processing, have jointly acquired a majority stake in Eden Tree Limited, Ghana’s leading producer and distributor of fresh, packaged fruits and vegetables.
The acquisition marks a significant milestone for West African capital markets, demonstrating the ability of the local financial ecosystem to structure and execute complex transactions despite global economic headwinds and domestic currency pressures.
The deal also ushers in a leadership transition, with Eden Tree Founder, Ms Catherine Krobo Edusei, assuming the role of Board Director and Founder Emeritus, while Mr Grant Webber has been appointed Chief Executive Officer.
Pangea and BSA acquired the majority shares from exiting international impact investor Investisseurs & Partenaires (I&P) through a secondary market transaction.
Pangea invests in West African agribusiness, climate resilience and job creation, while Black Star acquires and scales consumer goods and agro-processing businesses across sub-Saharan Africa through operational turnarounds and supply chain optimisation.
The new owners plan to expand production to address food security challenges and reduce post-harvest losses, leveraging Eden Tree’s network of outgrower farmers and modern processing facility established in 1997.
“From our humble beginnings, we proved that Ghanaian agribusiness can meet strict international standards of safety, quality and consistency. Building Eden Tree over nearly three decades has been the privilege of my life. I am proud to pass the baton of stewardship to Pangea and Black Star Africa,” Ms Edusei said.
Ms Tracy Boswell Scicchitano, incoming Board Director of Eden Tree and Director at Pangea Africa, described Ms Edusei’s nearly three decades of leadership as laying a solid foundation for regional expansion.
She said the transition reflected the investors’ commitment to strengthening local food systems and demonstrated that Ghana remained an attractive destination for investment.
“We are incredibly proud to continue Eden Tree’s history of strong women’s leadership at the governance level,” she said.
Ms Scicchitano said the acquisition came at a critical time, citing the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s food security assessments, which showed the world was falling short of achieving Sustainable Development Goal Two on Zero Hunger.
She said as healthy, nutritious diets became increasingly unaffordable across West Africa, the private sector was playing a growing role in addressing the gap.
Mr John Scicchitano, Strategic Advisor at Pangea Africa, said while global institutions continued policy discussions, local agribusinesses were taking practical steps to combat hunger.
He noted that about 50 per cent of fresh fruits and vegetables in West Africa were lost after harvest because of fragmented supply chains and inadequate cold-chain infrastructure, driving up the cost of nutritious food.
“Eden Tree is addressing this challenge by installing solar-powered cooling units near farms, expanding climate-smart drip irrigation and strengthening outgrower cooperatives to preserve produce from field to market while reducing the cost of healthy diets in Ghana,” he said.
Mr Grant Webber, the new CEO, said the immediate priority would be operational optimisation by combining Black Star’s turnaround expertise with Pangea’s strategic capital to build a leading integrated fresh food business in West Africa.
Mr Francis Owusu of I&P described the transaction as a successful example of impact investing in West Africa, marking the completion of the I&P Afrique Entrepreneurs Fund’s investment cycle in Eden Tree.
“We are proud of our decade-long partnership with Catherine Krobo Edusei, during which the company expanded its processing facilities and professionalised its operations,” he said.
“We leave Eden Tree in the capable hands of Pangea and Black Star Africa, whose strategic vision and operational expertise position the business for its next phase of growth.”
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe
31 July 2026
Picture attached
Reporter: Francis Ntow