The Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Hon. Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, has unveiled a comprehensive roadmap for Ghana’s industrial and trade sectors, marking the commencement of the Sector Medium-Term Development Plan (SMTDP) for 2026 – 2029.
Speaking at the Ministry’s recent 2026 Sector-wide planning workshop in Accra – which served as the primary platform to align the action plans of various directorates and agencies with the government’s broader economic industrialization agenda – the Minister outlined a strategic shift toward aggressive export growth, the operationalization of dormant state enterprises, and the strengthening of local production value chains.
A major highlight of the 2026 agenda is the Rapid Industrialization for Jobs Programme, which seeks to breathe new life into historically significant state-owned enterprises. Hon. Ofosu-Adjare announced that the government has set a firm target to revive and operationalize five major industrial assets within the 2026 fiscal year.
“In 2026, our target is to revive and operationalise the Komenda Sugar Factory, Pwalugu Tomato Factory, Volta Star Textiles Limited, Akosombo Textiles Limited, and the Wulugu Meat Factory. Our efforts will also focus on developing the textile and garment, pharmaceutical, and automotive industries to promote value addition and create employment”
Hon. Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry
According to the Minister, this revival effort is expected to create thousands of direct and indirect jobs while reducing the country’s reliance on imported substitutes for sugar, textiles, and processed meat.
Beyond industrial revival, Hon. Ofosu-Adjare revealed that the Ministry is scaling up its Accelerated Export Development Programme. This initiative is a critical component of the national strategy to generate US$10 billion in non-traditional export (NTE) revenue by 2030.
The Minister emphasized that achieving this milestone “requires a high degree of coordination among trade-related agencies,” to ensure that Ghanaian products meet international standards and penetrate high-value markets under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and other global trade agreements.
Feed the Industry
The Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry (MoTAI) would also address the raw material needs of the industrial sector through the Feed the Industry Programme – an initiative that uses contract farming to create a reliable supply link between farmers and processing plants.
For 2026, the Hon. Ofosu-Adjare revealed that specific arrangements have been finalized to supply Ekumfi Fruit and Juices Limited in the Central Region, ensuring the facility operates at optimal capacity. This model is intended to be replicated across other fruit processing and agro-industrial hubs to stabilize the supply chain and improve farmer incomes.
“The workshop marks a critical moment for aligning the Ministry’s priorities with its medium-term development objectives.
“This platform should therefore serve to align the Action Plans of our Directorates and Agencies with the priorities and objectives of the medium-term plan, ensuring that trade, agribusiness, and industry together constitute a major pillar of the national economy”
Hon. Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry
Hon. Ofosu-Adjare also noted that a key pillar of the new development plan is the Made-in-Ghana Programme, which focuses on enhancing the competitiveness of locally manufactured brands – with the Ministry intending to invest heavily in the certification of local products and consumer awareness campaigns to shift consumption patterns toward domestic goods.
Additionally, the Women in Trade, Agribusiness and Industry Programme was touched on again – designated as a priority to ensure gender equity and the economic empowerment of female entrepreneurs and farmers within the industrial value chain.
To ensure these targets are met with precision, the Minister announced the introduction of the Sector Accountability Platform. According to her, this results-based monitoring tool will require Heads of Agencies and Directors to provide regular reports on their progress toward the 2026 benchmarks.
The Minister noted that this platform will be instrumental in identifying implementation bottlenecks and providing the necessary policy support to keep the SMTDP on track. The workshop concluded with presentations from various agencies under the Ministry, all of whom reaffirmed their commitment to the 2026–2029 development objectives.
As the Ministry moves into the execution phase, the focus remains on transforming Ghana into a competitive industrial hub driven by value addition and a robust export culture.
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