The Vice President of the Republic, Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, has reaffirmed government’s commitment to strengthening Ghana’s trade, agribusiness and industrial base, assuring the Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry of continuous support to deliver on its mandate for national development.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang gave the assurance during a working visit to the Ministry on Thursday, where she was received by the Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Hon. Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, together with Directors, staff and agency heads.
The Vice President explained that the visit formed part of broader engagements with key Ministries to better understand their work, challenges and support needs, particularly those headed by women, as part of efforts to promote inclusive governance 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,” she stated.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang commended the Ministry for its strategic focus on local production, value addition, women and youth empowerment, and positioning Ghana to benefit fully from its natural resources and industrial potential. She expressed excitement about initiatives to grow rubber for tyre manufacturing and revive the sugar value chain, noting that such interventions create jobs across farming, processing, packaging and distribution.
She further applauded the Ministry’s renewed focus on Made-in-Ghana goods, describing local production as critical to economic resilience and self-sufficiency, while encouraging inter-agency collaboration to avoid working in silos. The Vice President pledged to prompt the Minister of Finance to expedite approval of incentives and policies needed to attract investment and accelerate industrial expansion.
Earlier, Hon. Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare outlined the Ministry’s achievements over the past year and plans for 2026, including reforms to reduce the cost of doing business, revitalise manufacturing, expand agribusiness through commercial contract farming, and attract investment into value-added production. She highlighted milestones such as the extension of export proceeds repatriation from 60 to 120 days, Ghana’s growing participation in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and the drafting of policies covering manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, automotive components and special economic zones.
The Minister also disclosed that land has been secured to support the revival of the Komenda Sugar Factory, expected to be operational in 2026, alongside new garment factories and agro-processing plants projected to create thousands of jobs, particularly for women and youth.
Expressing appreciation, Hon. Ofosu-Adjare described the Vice President’s visit as historic and motivating. “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,” she said.
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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