The Vice President of the Republic, Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening Ghana’s trade, agribusiness and industrial base, assuring the Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry of continuous support to enable it deliver on its mandate for national development.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang gave the assurance during a working visit to the Ministry on Thursday, 18th December, 2025, where she was warmly received by the Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Hon. Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, together with Directors, Staff and Heads of Agencies under the Ministry.
The Vice President explained that the visit formed part of a broader engagement with key Ministries to better understand their work, challenges and support needs, particularly Ministries headed by women, as part of efforts to promote inclusive governance, collaboration and efficiency across government.
“I came to see the work you are doing, what is happening, and how we can better support you. We are here to encourage you, appreciate you and assure you that we are committed to helping you do even more for the country,” the Vice President stated.
She commended the Ministry for its strategic focus on local production, value addition, women and youth empowerment, and for deliberately positioning Ghana to benefit fully from its natural resources and industrial potential. She stressed the need for inter-agency collaboration, urging institutions to avoid working in silos and instead strengthen partnerships to accelerate national progress.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang expressed particular excitement about the Ministry’s efforts to secure raw materials locally, including initiatives to grow rubber for tyre manufacturing and the revival of the sugar value chain, noting that such interventions create jobs across the entire value chain—from farming and processing to packaging and distribution.
She also applauded the Ministry’s renewed focus on Made-in-Ghana goods, describing local production as critical to economic resilience, efficiency and self-sufficiency, while encouraging the right training, equipment and evaluation systems to ensure productivity. “If we all come on board and work together, we can build a very productive country and make a real difference,” she added.
The Vice President further welcomed the Ministry’s commitment to women-led enterprises and youth employment, describing it as key to inclusive growth, and encouraged agencies such as GRATIS Foundation to reduce importation by empowering more Ghanaians to produce locally.
Importantly, Professor Opoku-Agyemang pledged to prompt the Minister of Finance to expedite approval of incentives and policies needed by the Ministry to attract investment and accelerate industrial expansion.
Earlier, the Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Hon. Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, delivered a comprehensive presentation outlining the Ministry’s achievements over the past year and its plans for 2026 and beyond. She highlighted ongoing reforms aimed at reducing the cost of doing business, revitalising manufacturing, expanding agribusiness through commercial contract farming, and attracting investment into value-added production.
She noted that limited access to raw materials remains a major challenge to industry, with many factories operating below capacity, and explained that the Ministry is addressing this through land acquisition for commercial farming, backward integration and targeted support for agro-processing.
The Minister announced significant milestones, including the extension of export proceeds repatriation from 60 to 120 days, Ghana’s growing participation in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), expanded access to international markets through trade fairs, and the drafting of key policies covering manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, automotive components and special economic zones.
She also disclosed that land has been secured and engagements held with farmers to support the revival of the Komenda Sugar Factory, which is expected to be operationalised in 2026, alongside the establishment of new garment factories and agro-processing plants projected to create thousands of jobs, particularly for women and the youth.
Expressing her appreciation, Hon. Ofosu-Adjare thanked the Vice President for the visit, describing it as historic and deeply motivating for the Ministry. “Your visit has encouraged us greatly. It tells us that our work matters and that we are being supported at the highest level. We are committed to doing even better,” the Minister said, while also commending the Vice President for her leadership and role in inspiring young girls across the country.
The visit ended with renewed commitment from both leadership and staff of the Ministry to deepen reforms, strengthen local industry and work collaboratively to drive Ghana’s economic transformation.
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