President Mahama cuts sod for Afienya Industrial Park to boost investment

President John Dramani Mahama has cut the sod for the construction of the Afienya Industrial Park, a major industrial development expected to attract investment, expand manufacturing and create jobs as Ghana pursues its ambition of becoming a manufacturing and logistics hub for West Africa.

The 1,238-acre industrial park is designed to accommodate more than 120 enterprises and will provide investors with serviced plots, ready-to-use factory shells and essential infrastructure to facilitate the establishment and expansion of businesses.

Speaking at the sod-cutting ceremony on Thursday, October 15, 2026, President Mahama said the project was a response to growing investor interest in Ghana, following information from the Ghana Free Zones Authority that the Tema Export Processing Zone had exhausted its available space for interested industries.

“When the Ghana Free Zones Authority informed me that the Tema Export Processing Zone had no space left to allocate to interested industries, it was an encouraging sign of investor interest in Ghana’s economic progress,” he said.

The President said the development highlighted the need for the government to provide the infrastructure required to translate investor interest into factories, employment opportunities and increased export earnings.

He cited figures from the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre indicating that registered foreign direct investment had increased from $624 million in 2024 to $2.62 billion in 2025.

President Mahama said the Afienya Industrial Park would help address some of the challenges investors face in acquiring land and accessing essential services before commencing operations.

He explained that the government intended to provide electricity, water, roads, waste treatment facilities and security to enable investors to concentrate on establishing their factories and producing goods.

“All you need is to come, build your factory, bring your machines, and start to produce,” he said.

The park’s location along the Eastern Corridor Road, its proximity to the Port of Tema and the passage of the Tema-Mpakadan standard-gauge railway line through the industrial enclave are expected to facilitate the movement of raw materials and finished products.

President Mahama said the transport connections would help businesses move their products to domestic, regional and international markets more efficiently.

The industrial park will target investments in cocoa processing, cashew and oil palm processing, textiles and garments, pharmaceuticals, medical consumables, automotive components and assembly, and light engineering. Opportunities will also be available in logistics, data services, business process outsourcing, renewable energy and green manufacturing.

To support the development, the President announced that part of the financing for the infrastructure required to operationalise the park would come from the government’s proposed $10 billion New Economy Programme.

The programme is expected to invest $2 billion annually over four years in productive sectors, with the aim of increasing production, reducing dependence on imports, expanding exports and creating sustainable jobs.

President Mahama said the industrial park’s success would also depend on the extent to which local communities benefit from the opportunities created.

He called for training programmes to prepare residents of Afienya and surrounding communities for employment, while encouraging farmers, transport operators, local suppliers and small businesses to participate in the supply chains serving the factories.

The President further directed the Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry to lead a targeted investment outreach programme in collaboration with the Ghana Free Zones Authority and private investors to attract businesses capable of establishing viable enterprises at the park.

He urged investors to take advantage of Ghana’s strategic position as host of the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat, stressing that the country must develop the capacity to produce quality goods at competitive prices for the continental market.

President Mahama said the ultimate measure of the project would be the number of businesses that become operational, the employment opportunities created for Ghanaians and the ability of locally manufactured products to reach markets across Africa and beyond.

Trade, Agribusiness and Industry Minister Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare says Ghana is finalising a special economic zone policy aimed at adopting global best practices to attract investment, boost manufacturing and strengthen the country’s industrial development.

She said the policy would focus on developing modern industrial zones capable of connecting local businesses to international markets, creating jobs and supporting the production of value-added goods.

Hon. Ofosu-Adjare said special economic zones had played a critical role in the industrialisation of several economies across the world.

According to her, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development estimates that nearly 5,400 special economic zones operate across more than 145 economies, with Africa accounting for more than 230 zones in 43 countries.

She cited East Asia’s transition from raw commodity exports to manufactured goods, Morocco’s emergence as a car exporter to Europe, and Ethiopia’s development of a garment industry as examples of how industrial zones could transform national economies.

The Ghana Free Zones Scheme has generated 78,155 direct jobs and more than 84,000 indirect jobs through 334 licensed enterprises as of the second quarter of 2026, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Free Zones Authority, Mary Awusi, has disclosed.

She said the enterprises operate across manufacturing, agro-processing, services and other productive sectors, contributing to Ghana’s economic growth, employment creation and export diversification.

Mrs Awusi said exports from free zone enterprises reached $3.1 billion in 2025, while approximately $2.34 billion had been recorded by the second quarter of 2026.

She added that capital investment in the scheme stood at approximately $279 million in 2025, with about $161 million recorded by the second quarter of 2026.

According to her, the achievements demonstrate the importance of the Free Zones Scheme in strengthening Ghana’s productive capacity and positioning the country to benefit from opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).