Founder of Union Government, Akwasi Addai Odike, has called for a deliberate national policy to add value to Ghana’s raw materials locally, warning that failure to create sufficient economic opportunities could compel young people to leave the country in search of better prospects.
Speaking on Ahotor FM’s Yepe Ahunu programme on Saturday, September 26, 2026, in Accra, Akwasi Addai Odike said Ghana and other African countries must move away from the long-standing practice of exporting raw materials and importing finished products.
According to him, Africa is endowed with abundant natural resources, but many countries on the continent continue to lose significant economic value because they export their resources in their raw state instead of processing them locally.
He argued that Ghana must develop industries capable of transforming its primary resources into finished products, saying such an approach would create employment opportunities while enabling the country to retain a greater share of the wealth generated from its natural resources.
Akwasi Addai Odike cited Ghana’s petroleum resources as an example, questioning why the country should discover crude oil in commercial quantities while continuing to depend on imported refined petroleum products.
He said Ghana has the potential to refine its crude oil locally into products such as diesel, petrol and aviation fuel rather than exporting crude and importing finished petroleum products.
He further argued that strengthening local refining and production could help reduce some of the costs associated with transporting finished petroleum products, since the country would not have to rely on multiple shipments of different refined products.
The Founder of Union Government said the same principle should be applied to gold and other mineral resources, stressing the need for deliberate policies to promote local processing and value addition before such resources are exported.
He also called for reforms in the education system to equip young people with the technical, vocational and entrepreneurial skills required to process Ghana’s raw materials and build competitive local industries.
Akwasi Addai Odike maintained that economic development should ultimately create opportunities for citizens within their own countries. He warned that when young people are unable to find meaningful employment and economic opportunities at home, some may feel compelled to undertake dangerous journeys through deserts and other difficult routes in search of better living conditions abroad.
He therefore urged Ghanaian leaders to focus on building a productive economy capable of creating jobs, supporting businesses and giving young people stronger reasons to remain in the country and build their future.
According to him, Ghana has the natural resources and human potential needed to transform its economy, but achieving that objective requires consistent, long-term policies rather than short-term interventions.
Akwasi Addai Odike stressed that Ghana’s natural resources should be treated as a foundation for industrial development, with value addition, education, technology and local manufacturing forming part of a broader and sustained national development strategy.
Story by Stephen Kwaku Owusu Mintah