Trade Minister Urges Investors to Partner Local Businesses, Use Ghanaian Inputs

The Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Mrs Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, has urged investors expanding their operations in Ghana to build stronger partnerships with local businesses and increase the use of Ghanaian inputs.

She said greater collaboration between foreign investors and local enterprises would help deepen value chains, strengthen domestic businesses and ensure that investments generated wider benefits for the Ghanaian economy.

Mrs Ofosu-Adjare made the call at the launch of the 2025 Annual Investment Report by the Ghana Investment Promotion Authority, GIPA, at the Bank of Ghana in Accra.

She also encouraged investors to invest in the skills development of young Ghanaians to prepare them for opportunities in growing industries.

The Minister said investment should go beyond capital inflows and contribute to the development of local enterprises, increased production and productive employment.

She said Ghana’s investment strategy was focused on ensuring that businesses operating in the country created stronger links with local suppliers and value chains.

Mrs Ofosu-Adjare said agribusiness offered opportunities for such linkages, particularly through increased local processing of agricultural produce.

She explained that processing agricultural products in Ghana could create additional opportunities for local businesses in packaging, transportation, warehousing, distribution and exports.

The Minister said government was also prioritising sectors such as textiles and garments, pharmaceuticals, automotive manufacturing and components, and agro-processing to build Ghana’s competitive industrial capacity.

She said local businesses and investors would need to improve efficiency, meet required standards and maintain quality to take advantage of opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area.

Mrs Ofosu-Adjare said the AfCFTA offered Ghanaian producers and businesses access to wider markets across the continent, but added that the country must build the capacity of its enterprises to compete.

She said government would continue to support an environment that encouraged investment while ensuring that such investments created stronger connections with Ghanaian businesses.

The Minister said the ultimate goal was for investment to generate expanded production, stronger local enterprises, jobs and greater access to regional and international markets.

Ghana’s 2025 Annual Investment Report recorded US$2.62 billion in foreign direct investment and highlighted the need to translate investment activity into productive capacity, jobs and deeper local participation in value chains.

Irene Wirekoaa Osei, ISD