Ghana is embarking on a major economic shift with a proposed $10 billion investment in strategic development sectors. Spearheaded by President John Dramani Mahama, the multi-billion-dollar initiative aims to revolutionize the agricultural landscape, modernize agro-processing, and drastically cut national reliance on food imports.
Under the government’s New Economy Programme, the state plans to allocate $2.5 billion annually over the next four years. Out of the total fund, 50%—amounting to $5 billion—will go directly into transforming agriculture and industrial food processing.
Key Highlights of the $10 Billion Plan
$5 Billion for Agriculture: Half of the total budget is dedicated exclusively to boosting crop yields, expanding irrigation infrastructure, and setting up localized processing hubs.
Pwalugu Tomato Factory Rehabilitation: The iconic facility in the Upper East Region will be restored to serve as the country’s main processing hub for locally grown tomatoes.
2,500-Acre Cultivation Target: The state is targeting 2,500 acres of land dedicated to large-scale tomato farming to feed the refurbished processing plant.
Tamne Dam Completion: Finalizing the Tamne irrigation project will enable year-round, dry-season farming across four districts in the Bawku area.
Reduction of Foreign Imports: Expansion plans for onion production aim to substitute imports from neighboring countries like Niger with locally grown produce.
Upper East Region to Become Agro-Processing Epicenter
The Upper East Region is set to be one of the primary beneficiaries of this economic drive. By coupling expanded irrigation access with local manufacturing, the initiative seeks to solve long-standing challenges related to seasonal farming and post-harvest losses.
“The biggest share is agriculture and agro-processing, and that is where the Upper East comes in,” President Mahama emphasized during a recent engagement in Navrongo.
By ensuring water access during both rainy and dry seasons, young farmers will have year-round employment opportunities, helping position the region as a major supplier of fresh vegetables and processed foods for the national market.
Cutting Import Reliance and Boosting Local Industry
A central focus of the initiative is import substitution. Ghana currently relies heavily on neighboring nations for staple produce such as onions and processed tomato paste. By expanding domestic production of onions through the Tamne dam project and processing local tomatoes at Pwalugu, the government plans to keep capital within the national economy and create thousands of agricultural and industrial jobs.
Through these combined investments in infrastructure, factory rehabilitation, and large-scale farming, the New Economy Programme aims to establish a self-sustaining agricultural supply chain across Ghana.
