At the 2025 Kwahu Business Forum, Ghana’s Minister for Trade, Agribusiness, and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, unveiled an ambitious roadmap to reposition Ghana’s economy through inclusive, export-led industrialization, emphasizing the critical role of finance, policy reform, and agri-industrial investments.
Under the theme “The Future of Business: The Role of the Financial Sector,” the Minister outlined a series of initiatives designed to streamline regulation, empower entrepreneurs, and drive job creation.
Transformative Regulatory Reforms
The Business Regulatory Reform Program, spanning over 50 public and private institutions, was cited as a flagship initiative to eliminate bureaucratic bottlenecks and enhance the ease of doing business. A key milestone includes the Business Regulatory Reforms Commission Bill, which will institutionalize stakeholder consultations and enforce regulatory impact assessments.
“We are aligning financial systems with national development priorities to support entrepreneurship, industrialization, and inclusive growth,” Ofosu-Adjare declared.
Export-Led Strategy and International Partnerships
The Minister also announced an Accelerated Export Development Programme targeting high-potential sectors such as garments, processed foods, and pharmaceuticals, with special trade expeditions planned, including a high-powered private sector delegation to China.
“This visit aims to unlock strategic B2B opportunities between Ghana and China. Now is the time for our local businesses to seize global opportunities.” she stated.
Working alongside the Ghana Export Promotion Authority, Ghana EXIM Bank, and the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, the Ministry will deploy tailored financial tools including export credit guarantees and concessionary loans to boost competitiveness and production capacity.
Agribusiness & Industrialization at the Core
Ofosu-Adjare emphasized a structural pivot to agribusiness, announcing the “Feed the Industry” programme, which will facilitate contract farming for key crops like cassava, maize, and soybean. The plan includes the development of the Afram Plains Agro-Industrial Zone, which aims to link commercial farming to value-added export processing.
“Never before has agribusiness taken centre stage in our industrial strategy. With your support, we will build sustainable supply chains from farm to factory,” she affirmed.
Additionally, plans are underway to establish three state-of-the-art garment factories, each projected to create 3,000 jobs per shift, in line with the government’s 24-hour economy policy, totaling 27,000 new jobs.
Other upcoming policies include Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Development Policy to enhance local drug production, Component Manufacturing Policy to support Ghana’s automotive industry, targeting hubs like Suame Magazine and Kokompe
These efforts are supported by inclusive development initiatives for women and youth, offering access to funding, training, and global markets positioning Ghana as a rising industrial force in West Africa.
In closing, the Minister invited stakeholders to engage with the Ministry’s exhibition and leverage the Easter festivities to network and explore investment prospects.
“Our doors are open. Let us build partnerships that will define the future of Ghanaian business,” she concluded.
