The Ghana Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA) is considering the adoption of a Japanese-developed non-blockchain digital tracking system as part of efforts to curb oil palm smuggling and improve transparency within Ghana’s tree crops sector.
The system, developed by technology firm Royvia Plus, is designed to digitally record transactions between farmers, aggregators and manufacturers using a token-based framework. Officials say the platform could help formalise trade flows, generate reliable production data and strengthen regulatory oversight.
The proposal was discussed at the maiden Ghana Tree Crops Investment Summit and Exhibition (GTCIS-2026), held at the Accra International Conference Centre on February 20, 2026.
Yusuke Sunagawa, a cybersecurity engineer with Royvia Plus, explained that the Non-Blockchain Token System (NBTS) differs from traditional blockchain technology.
According to him, while blockchain systems are secure, they can be expensive and slow. The NBTS instead relies on a traditional database to track transactions in real time.
Smuggled oil products undermining local industry – OPDAG
Under the proposed model, farm produce would only be traded through digital tokens generated within the system. Crops that are not registered and tokenised within Ghana’s system would be difficult to trade formally, a feature developers argue could discourage smuggling.
The platform would store transaction records, including volumes traded and payment flows, creating a digital trail for stakeholders in the oil palm value chain.
Sunagawa indicated that the system is still being adapted to Ghana-specific requirements and is not yet operational. He projected that it could be ready for rollout within six months, pending further development and stakeholder engagement.
“We are still developing the system for Ghana-specific cases, so it is not yet in production, but development is progressing,” he said.
One of the persistent challenges in Ghana’s agricultural sector is the lack of structured transaction records, as many trades are conducted informally without documented data.
The proposed system aims to address this gap by ensuring that every transaction is digitally recorded
By creating verified records of farm output and sales history, the system could potentially provide financial institutions with more reliable information when assessing farmers’ loan applications.
The platform is expected to integrate with mobile money services to facilitate instant payments once transactions are completed.
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