AFIENYA, Ghana, 15th October: President John Dramani Mahama has urged local and foreign investors to establish businesses in Ghana and use the country as a gateway to markets across Africa and beyond.
He said the Afienya Industrial Park presented an opportunity for businesses to take advantage of Ghana’s strategic location, transport infrastructure and access to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Speaking at the sod-cutting ceremony for the industrial park, President Mahama said Ghana needed to strengthen its productive capacity to benefit fully from the expanding opportunities offered by continental trade.
“As host of the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat, Ghana has an important role in advancing continental trade. We must match that role with the capacity to produce goods that African consumers and businesses want to buy,” he said.
President Mahama stressed that access to wider markets alone would not guarantee success, noting that Ghanaian manufacturers must offer competitive prices, maintain consistent quality and ensure reliable delivery.
He said businesses operating at the Afienya Industrial Park would be strategically positioned to move goods through the Port of Tema, the Eastern Corridor Road and the Tema-Mpakadan standard-gauge railway line.
The park, which covers approximately 1,238 acres, is expected to accommodate more than 120 enterprises engaged in manufacturing, agro-processing, logistics and other industrial activities.
President Mahama said the government was working to provide investors with serviced land, reliable utilities and other essential facilities to make the park attractive for industrial development.
He added that the government would intensify targeted investment outreach programmes to connect the opportunities available at Afienya with investors capable of establishing viable enterprises.
The President directed the Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry to lead the initiative in collaboration with the Ghana Free Zones Authority and the private sector.
He said the government’s efforts would ultimately be judged by the number of businesses that begin operating, the employment opportunities created for Ghanaians and the volume of products reaching regional and international markets.
President Mahama further called on investors to develop products in Ghana that could compete successfully in African markets, adding that the country needed to match its role in continental trade with the ability to meet the demands of consumers and businesses.
The Afienya Industrial Park forms part of the government’s broader industrialisation agenda, which seeks to expand manufacturing, increase exports, reduce dependence on imports and create sustainable jobs.
President Mahama expressed confidence that the development would help bring together Ghanaian talent, enterprise and resources to generate lasting economic benefits.
Story by: Emmanuel Romeo Tetteh(#RomeoWrites✍️)/ Presidential Affairs Correspondent | Ghana 🇬🇭
