President John Mahama has cut the sod for the construction of the Afienya Industrial Park, a major industrial development expected to accommodate more than 120 enterprises and create jobs as part of the government’s efforts to position Ghana as a manufacturing and logistics hub for West Africa.
The 1,238-acre industrial park is expected to provide businesses with serviced plots, ready-to-use factory shells and essential infrastructure, including electricity, water, roads, drainage, waste treatment facilities and security.
Speaking at the sod-cutting ceremony, President Mahama said the project responds to growing investor interest in Ghana and the need to provide space and infrastructure for businesses to establish factories and expand production.
“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.
He added that the government has a responsibility to ensure that the growing interest translates into factories, jobs and increased exports.
“Today, we take an important step towards fulfilling our commitment to make Ghana a manufacturing and logistics hub for the West African sub-region,” President Mahama stated.
The President said the Afienya Industrial Park will address some of the challenges investors face in acquiring land and setting up businesses, particularly disputes over land ownership and the cost of providing essential services.
He assured investors that the new industrial enclave would offer litigation-free land and the necessary infrastructure to facilitate the establishment of factories.
“You come, the land is litigation-free, the services will be available, and we will bring the power, the water, the waste treatment plants, security, roads, everything here,” he said.
“All you need is to come, build your factory, bring your machines, and start to produce.”
President Mahama said the project would receive infrastructure financing support under the government’s proposed $10 billion New Economy Programme, which is expected to invest $2 billion annually over four years in productive sectors of the economy.
He said half of the planned investment would go into agriculture and agro-processing, with the remainder supporting industry and infrastructure linking producers to markets.
“The New Economy Programme will assist the Free Zones Authority to provide these facilities for the Afienya enclave,” he said, adding that the full framework would be presented to Parliament in the 2027 Budget.
The President said the industrial park’s location along the Eastern Corridor Road, its proximity to the Port of Tema and the Tema-Mpakadan standard-gauge railway line would give businesses a strategic advantage in transporting raw materials and finished products to domestic, regional and international markets.
Priority investment areas include cocoa, cashew and oil palm processing, textiles and garments, pharmaceuticals, medical consumables, automotive components and assembly, and light engineering. The park is also expected to create opportunities in logistics, data services, business process outsourcing, renewable energy and green manufacturing.
President Mahama stressed that the benefits of the project must extend beyond businesses operating within the industrial park to surrounding communities, including Afienya.
He called for local farmers, transport operators, suppliers and small businesses to be integrated into the supply chains of companies that establish operations there.
“I believe that if enterprises are located here, there should be a programme that trains the local people so that they can get some of the jobs created in this industrial park,” he said.
President Mahama said the Afienya Industrial Park should build on the experience of the Tema Export Processing Zone by strengthening local industrial production, creating sustainable employment and expanding Ghana’s export capacity.
“Establish your businesses here, develop your products here, and use Ghana as the launching pad to reach customers across Africa and beyond,” he urged investors.
He expressed confidence that the private sector would respond to the opportunities created by the project, adding that the ultimate measure of success would be operational businesses, employment for Ghanaians and products reaching wider African markets.