Manufacturing, Not Extractives, Should Drive Ghana’s Industrial Growth – Dr. Nii Moi Thompson
The Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) Dr. Nii Moi Thompson says Ghana’s next planning phase must prioritize manufacturing as the main driver of industry, instead of relying heavily on volatile extractive sectors like oil, gas and mining.
Speaking at the launch of the 2025 National Annual Progress Report (APR), NDPC Director-General Dr. Nii Moi Thompson noted that while extractives and ICT were the two main drivers of growth last year, the structure of the economy needs to change for sustainable recovery.
“Manufacturing Should Be the Main Driving One”
Dr. Thompson said reporting on industry in Ghana has consistently raised concerns about the dominance of mining and oil.
“Mining oil and gas, and as you know, these are highly volatile areas. So again, for the next planning phase, that’s what we’re looking at,” he stated.
He explained that for the next report, the industry category should properly highlight manufacturing as the core sub-sector.
“For the next report under industry, they use the usual subcategory of manufacturing, which should be part of. It should be the main driving one,” he said.
He added that last year’s growth was “mainly in the extractive sector,” which is not ideal for long-term stability.
ICT Growth Needs Deeper Analysis
Dr. Thompson also flagged the ICT sector as the other major growth driver, but said more work is needed to understand what is powering it.
“The ICT part we are yet to interpret to see exactly what is driving the ICT. Is it people just buying data for talking or is there something like e-commerce going on?” he asked.
Citing an example, he said: “I do know that when you go to the malls, at least Achimota Mall, MTN is constantly full. I’ve never seen that place empty before. Everyone, and I doubt it’s the kind of ICT that we need to drive it up. So that’s an area for further interrogation.”
He noted that the Ghana Statistical Service is rebasing the economy and is expected to provide more clarity on what constitutes ICT growth.
Agriculture and Cocoa
On agriculture, Dr. Thompson said the sector “did some work” and made some contribution to growth.
However, he pointed out that cocoa’s importance to GDP has declined significantly.
“Cocoa, not so much cocoa. You know, Cocoa’s share of GDP has fallen to about 2% now, but it still remains a significant source of life,” he said.
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