The Government is set to develop an approximately 150-acre air cargo hub at the Tamale International Airport to facilitate the export of vegetables, fruits and other high-value agricultural produce from northern Ghana to international markets.
Mr Goosie Tanoh, National Coordinator of the 24-Hour Economy Secretariat, said the facility would form part of an integrated production and export system linking agriculture, manufacturing, energy and logistics across northern Ghana.
He said the Secretariat, in collaboration with the Ghana Airports Company Limited, had already demarcated about 150 acres of land at the airport for the development of the cargo hub.
Mr Tanoh announced this at the inauguration of Northshore Apparel Ghana Limited, an export-oriented garment factory at Savelugu in the Northern Region.
The factory, established through a partnership involving the Ghana Export-Import Bank (GEXIM), Germany’s Investing for Employment programme through the KfW Development Bank and other partners, forms part of the implementation of the Government’s 24-Hour Economy initiative.
Linking Farms To Export Markets
Mr Tanoh said the proposed air cargo hub would provide dedicated logistics infrastructure to move high-value agricultural commodities produced in northern Ghana directly to international markets.
He said the facility would complement efforts to promote commercial-scale agriculture, value addition and improved access to export markets for farmers and agribusinesses in the northern parts of the country.
According to him, the initiative was part of a broader economic transformation programme aimed at connecting production centres to efficient transport, energy, manufacturing and export infrastructure.
“The objective is to integrate and unify Ghana’s economy into one ecosystem that will drive productivity, increase production, create jobs and promote inclusive economic growth,” he said.
120,000-Hectare Agriculture Corridor
Mr Tanoh said the Government was also pursuing the development of an agriculture corridor covering about 120,000 hectares at Senga and Daboya along the White Volta.
The corridor, he said, would support commercial-scale production of vegetables, cereals, oilseeds and other agricultural commodities.
He said the area would also support a proposed $270-million integrated poultry industry, which would strengthen agricultural production and agro-processing value chains in northern Ghana.
In addition, the Government was working to provide affordable and reliable energy to support industrial activities in the region.
Mr Tanoh said plans were underway for the development of a 1.5-gigawatt solar power plant under the Volta Economic Corridor to support industries and other economic activities.
Integrated Economic System
The National Coordinator said the various projects were being pursued as interconnected components of a single production system rather than as isolated initiatives.
“Farms at Senga, factories at Savelugu and Daboya, export logistics in Tamale and energy at Wipei are not separate initiatives. They are part of a single production system,” he said.
He said the success of the 24-Hour Economy programme would depend on the ability to efficiently connect farmers, industries, logistics providers and export markets along productive value chains.
Such integration, he said, would increase production, create jobs and enable young people and local businesses to participate meaningfully in economic activities.
Mr Tanoh said the proposed air cargo hub would be critical to ensuring that agricultural producers in northern Ghana could take advantage of both domestic and international markets.
He said Government would continue to work with the private sector and development partners to mobilise the investments and infrastructure needed to transform northern Ghana into a major production and export hub.
Germany Reaffirms Support
Mr Frederik Landshof, German Ambassador to Ghana, commended Ghana for its industrial development efforts and pledged Germany’s continued support towards sustainable economic development.
He said Germany remained committed to supporting initiatives that promoted industrialisation, job creation and sustainable development in Ghana.
