The Eastern Region is being positioned as a major production and export centre under the government’s 24-Hour Economy programme, Presidential Adviser on the 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development, Goosie Augustus Obuadum Tanoh, has said.
According to Tanoh, the region will play a key role in what he described as Ghana’s second wave of industrialisation, with investments expected across manufacturing, agriculture, transport, tourism and industrial infrastructure.
Speaking on behalf of President John Dramani Mahama at the opening of the Eastern Expo 2026 in Koforidua, he said the 24H+ Programme was designed to move Ghana away from exporting raw materials towards processing and manufacturing finished products for both the local market and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
He cited cocoa and timber as examples of the longstanding pattern the programme seeks to change.
“For a hundred years, we sold cocoa and bought back chocolate. We sold timber and bought back furniture. The 24H+ Programme is ending that pattern,” he said.
Tanoh said the government aims to reduce unemployment to below five percent by 2035 while increasing manufacturing’s contribution to the economy from about 10 percent towards 20 percent.
Eastern Region to anchor industrial production
A major component of the strategy is the Volta Economic Corridor, which Tanoh said covers 75 districts, including 10 in the Eastern Region.
The corridor is expected to connect production areas such as the Kwahu Afram Plains, Asuogyaman, Manya, Kwahu East and South, Fanteakwa and Yilo Krobo to major markets through improved transport infrastructure.
He said the new railway connection to Mpakadan, together with the Volta Lake Transport System, would provide additional options for moving agricultural and industrial goods.
According to Tanoh, transporting goods by water could reduce freight costs by as much as 60 percent, making it cheaper to move products such as fish from Asuogyaman and yam from the Afram Plains to Accra.
The Accra-Kumasi Expressway is also expected to strengthen the region’s position as a production and trade corridor, with planned interchanges at Adeiso, Asamankese, Akyem Oda and Ofoase.
Three industrial parks planned for Afram Plains
Tanoh disclosed that three industrial parks were being developed in the Kwahu Afram Plains under the 24H+ Programme.
He said GB Foods, producers of Gino and Pomo tomato products, would anchor the food and beverage park and create a ready market for tomatoes produced locally.
The initiative, he said, could help reduce post-harvest losses while improving agricultural productivity.
Tanoh noted that pilot farms operated by GB Foods had already increased tomato yields from about seven tonnes per hectare to 20 tonnes per hectare.
Two agroecological parks, he added, would be anchored by Pitiku and Africa Golden Foods, while Koforidua had been identified as a potential centre for regional garment manufacturing.
Jobs, power and markets key to 24-hour production
Tanoh stressed that the 24-hour economy was not simply about keeping factories open during the night.
Instead, he said the programme was intended to address the challenges that prevent businesses from expanding production and operating multiple shifts.
These include reliable and affordable electricity, efficient supply chains, access to raw materials, safe transportation for night workers, working capital and skilled labour.
He said access to large markets in Ghana, across the AfCFTA and beyond would also be essential for businesses seeking to move from one shift to two or three shifts.
Tourism, he added, would form another part of the Eastern Region’s 24H+ activities.
Tanoh described tourism as an export that generates income for local businesses and highlighted attractions including Boti Falls, Umbrella Rock, Aburi Gardens, Krobo bead-making, Asesewa kente weaving, the Kwahu paragliding festival, Atewa Range and the Bunso Arboretum.
Through the SHOW24 initiative, he said government would work with the region to develop tourism sites, access roads and other services needed to support the sector.
Land model for communities
Tanoh also outlined a proposed land model under which communities that provide land for investment would retain ownership while receiving rent and dividends from projects established on their lands.
He urged investors to bring capital, technology and expertise while partnering Ghanaian businesses and sourcing raw materials from local farmers.
According to him, the Eastern Region has more than 1.5 million people of working age who could benefit from the expansion of industrial parks, factories and tourism enterprises.
The broader vision, he said, is to see tomatoes processed in Kwahu instead of being lost after harvest, garments manufactured in Koforidua reaching markets such as Abidjan and Lagos, and agricultural produce from the Afram Plains transported through the Volta Lake to rail connections at Mpakadan and eventually to the ports.
Government cannot do it alone
Tanoh stressed that the government alone could not deliver the intended transformation.
“Government can build the corridor, the parks and the roads. Government cannot farm a hectare, process a tonne, sew a garment, host a visitor or run a night shift,” he said.
He said farmers, producers and entrepreneurs would ultimately be responsible for driving production, while government’s role would be to create the conditions needed to make their businesses competitive.
The Eastern Expo 2026, which began on September 26 and is scheduled to end on October 3, was subsequently declared officially opened on behalf of President Mahama.
Among those present at the launch were Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts Abla Dzifa Gomashie, Deputy Minister of Trade Sampson Ahi, Eastern Regional Minister Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey, Presidential Adviser on the Economy Seth Tekper, who represented the Chief of Staff, Omanhene of New Juaben Daasebre Kwaku Boateng III, and Kwahumanhene Daasebre Akuamoah Agyepong II, who chaired the occasion.
