The Volta Economic Corridor has emerged as a central pillar of Ghana’s 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme, with government projecting that the initiative will create more than 1.7 million jobs by 2028 across agriculture, manufacturing, logistics and services.
Presenting the 2026 budget, the Finance Minister Dr. Casiel Ato Forson, said the corridor is one of the most strategic hubs in the nationwide transformation agenda, designed to reduce import dependence, strengthen self-reliance and expand value addition. “It will reduce import dependency, strengthen self-reliance, and create over 1.7 million decent jobs by 2028 across agriculture, manufacturing, logistics, and services,” he said.
The Volta Economic Corridor is being developed as a fully integrated value chain system, linking farmers, processors and markets in a continuous cycle of production, processing and distribution. Anchored on rice, vegetables, aquaculture and agro-processing, the corridor is expected to attract large-scale private sector investment and drive export competitiveness.
According to the minister, the corridor forms part of more than 50 identified bankable projects under the 24H+ framework, including agro-industrial parks, regional garment parks and key logistics infrastructure such as the Volta Lake Multimodal Transport System, the Tamale Air Cargo and Export Hub and the Yapei Inland Port.
Implementation of the 24-hour economy is being coordinated by a National Secretariat working with ministries, agencies and the private sector. Financing is expected to remain largely off the government’s balance sheet, with the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund, Development Bank Ghana and other development finance partners mobilising capital for industrial zones, logistics hubs and innovation centres.
To reinforce the Volta Corridor’s role as a major agro-industrial hub, government will introduce targeted tax incentives and rebates for agribusinesses involved in mechanisation, irrigation, food processing and storage. These measures, the minister said, will boost productivity and profitability while giving investors a fair return for deploying capital and technology.
The minister described the 24-hour economy as a national productivity shift aimed at building an industrial and export-driven Ghana that “produces, processes and exports around the clock.” The Volta Corridor, he noted, demonstrates how value-chain integration can drive economic transformation at the regional level.
“This is not just a vision; it is Ghana’s blueprint for a productive, self-reliant, and globally competitive economy that delivers prosperity for every Ghanaian, every day, and every hour,” he said.
