Trade, Agribusiness and Industry Minister Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare has stepped up engagements with major local manufacturers, signalling a more intervention-focused industrial policy as government works to expand production, exports and employment. Her visits on Friday to electric-mobility firm Wahu Company Limited and drug manufacturer Entrance Pharmaceutical & Research Centre offered a detailed look at both the sector’s momentum and its remaining structural hurdles.
At Wahu, co-founder and CEO Valerie Labi outlined a period of accelerated growth. According to her, the company’s plant can assemble up to 20,000 electric vehicles a year, and is fully powered by solar energy and operates on a 24-hour production cycle. “In fact, Wahu already contributes to the government’s 24-hour economy agenda,” she said, adding that its nationwide riders and factory teams work round the clock to meet rising demand.
Wahu currently employs 550 people and aims to become one of Ghana’s largest youth employers by late 2026. Labi said the firm is training a new cohort of Ghanaian engineers in battery technology through a partnership with the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, with a long-term goal of localising battery pack production. She also announced a new OEM agreement with Ox Delivers that will shift production of electric flat-pack agricultural trucks from the UK to Ghana.
Despite these advances, Labi said policy gaps are undermining competitiveness. Wahu does not qualify for VAT exemptions under the Ghana Automotive Development Policy, even though it is a local manufacturer. As a result, the firm registered under the Free Zones Authority to support exports to Liberia, Zambia and Togo. She called for “a clear definition within the automotive framework for companies like Wahu” and an “innovation sandbox” to back emerging EV technologies, component localisation and skills development. She added that long-term, affordable capital remains scarce, limiting the company’s ability to expand vehicle financing.
Ofosu-Adjare praised Wahu’s innovation and reaffirmed government’s intention to support indigenous industries, saying that industrial expansion remains a priority within Ghana’s broader economic transformation agenda.
At Entrance Pharmaceutical, CEO Samuel Amo Tobbin briefed the Minister on the company’s export-strengthened operations but warned that delayed payments from some West African markets are tightening cash flow. He pointed to the absence of a maize-starch processing facility in the sub-region as a major structural gap, noting its importance as a key input for pharmaceuticals, beverages and ethanol. He also raised concerns about the deteriorated access road to the company’s site, despite its status as one of Ghana’s largest pharmaceutical hubs visited regularly by global regulators including the WHO, U.S. FDA and Geneva FDA.
The Minister described the concerns as “timely, practical and economically strategic.” She said Ghana must begin local production of core raw materials to strengthen competitiveness under the AfCFTA and reduce dependence on imports. She noted that recent government investment missions abroad showed strong investor interest in pharmaceuticals, textiles and manufacturing, and described maize-starch production as a viable project with ready market demand. She pledged to fast-track investor engagement.
On export-payment delays, Ofosu-Adjare said the issue will receive immediate follow-up under the President’s Accelerated Exports Development Programme. “The President of the Republic John Dramani Mahama wants Ghana to be the net exporter of pharmaceuticals,” she said. She also committed to working with Trade Ministers across the sub-region to ensure timely settlement.
Addressing infrastructure constraints, she expressed confidence that the Ministry of Roads will prioritise rehabilitation of the Entrance Pharma access road given its economic relevance. She praised the company’s multi-shift operations, product quality and labour practices, and reaffirmed her open-door policy to resolve emerging issues quickly.
The visits forms part of government’s drive to strengthen industrial base by addressing policy gaps, supporting local production and improving the operating environment for manufacturers positioned to lead the next phase of industrial growth.
