Regional ministers from all 16 regions stand a chance at courting local and international investors at next week’s Invest Ghana Summit, as the government seeks to channel more capital into projects outside the country’s established commercial centres.
The ministers will have the opportunity to use the two-day gathering to present investment opportunities in their respective regions, highlighting projects and business prospects in agriculture, agro-processing, manufacturing, tourism, infrastructure and other productive sectors.
The summit, organised by the Ghana Investment Promotion Authority (GIPA), is scheduled for Nov. 16–17 at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City in Accra. Its second day will focus on regional investment opportunities, with dedicated sessions covering the northern, middle and southern belts of the country.
The presentations will draw on GIPA’s Investment Opportunities Mapping Project, an initiative to identify, document and package viable projects across all 16 regions for potential investors. The authority says the exercise is intended to connect regional businesses and project promoters with domestic and international capital.
The opportunities include cocoa and cashew processing, rice production, cassava starch manufacturing, tomato processing, livestock production and agricultural logistics infrastructure in the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo regions. The Savannah Region will also present the proposed $1.46 billion Buipe Solar and Storage Project, while a Green Forestry and Climate Investment Corridor spanning six regions is among the other projects expected to attract investor interest.
The regional pitch seeks to broaden investment beyond Accra and other established business centres, while encouraging value addition, job creation and export-oriented production.
More than 100 vetted projects are listed among the opportunities being promoted at the summit. Investors are expected to engage government officials and project promoters through business-to-government meetings, deal rooms and an investor facilitation hub. 19 government agencies are expected to participate in the initiative, providing investors with access to institutions responsible for investment approvals, regulatory processes and other business-related services
The summit will also bring together President John Dramani Mahama and African industrialist Aliko Dangote, who is expected to participate in discussions on industrialisation and business opportunities across the continent.
The summit’s regional sessions are therefore expected to test whether Ghana can convert its investment opportunities outside major commercial centres into bankable projects capable of attracting private financing.
