ACCRA, Ghana, 15th September: President John Dramani Mahama has urged the developers of the $1.3 billion Sentuo Airport Garden City Project to ensure that Ghanaian businesses, workers and young people derive meaningful and lasting benefits from the investment.
Speaking at the ceremonial groundbreaking of the project in Accra, President Mahama said the true value of the development should not be measured only by the scale of its buildings, but by its contribution to the Ghanaian economy and the opportunities it creates for citizens.
According to him, Ghanaian engineers, architects, artisans, technicians, suppliers and other local businesses must be given meaningful opportunities to participate in the construction of the project.
He also called for deliberate measures to provide young people with apprenticeships, practical training and skills transfer.
“The economic benefits of this development must endure long after construction is complete,” President Mahama stressed.
The Sentuo Airport Garden City Project is expected to comprise approximately 582 premium apartments, a 600-room hotel, a conference facility with capacity for 2,500 people, healthcare facilities, a modern shopping mall, landscaped gardens and 503 parking bays within a four-storey apartment building, alongside other commercial and leisure amenities.
President Mahama encouraged Sentuo Group to treat local content not simply as a regulatory requirement but as a central measure of the project’s success.
“Where Ghanaian firms and workers have the required competence, they must be given a fair opportunity to contribute and to grow alongside this investment,” he said.
He noted that once completed, the hotel, conference facilities, residential apartments, retail outlets, healthcare facilities and leisure amenities would generate demand for a wide range of goods and services.
This, he said, should create sustained opportunities for Ghanaian entrepreneurs, support decent jobs and stimulate economic activity beyond the project site.
The President said the project represents the kind of public-private partnership Ghana needs, stressing that government cannot and should not undertake every investment required for national development alone.
He assured investors that government would continue to provide a stable and enabling environment for businesses to invest, expand and succeed, while ensuring that the benefits of such investments reach the Ghanaian people.
In return, he said investors must comply fully with Ghana’s laws, uphold high standards and create genuine opportunities for local businesses and workers.
President Mahama commended Sentuo Group Executive Chairman, Mr Shu Ningquan, and the company’s management for their continued confidence in Ghana and for choosing to make the country the destination for the major investment.
He described Mr Shu as an important investor who had made Ghana his “number one home” and indicated that his growing investments in the country demonstrated a long-term commitment to Ghana.
President Mahama subsequently performed the ceremonial sod-cutting to officially commence the Sentuo Airport Garden City Project.
Story by: Emmanuel Romeo Tetteh(#RomeoWrites✍️)/ Presidential Affairs Correspondent | Ghana 🇬🇭
