Ghana has positioned itself as a strategic manufacturing and export hub for Japanese businesses seeking access to the West African and wider African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) market, as the Ghana–Japan Business Forum opened in Accra.
The Deputy Minister for Trade, Agribusiness, and Industry, Sampson Ahi, stated that the government is deliberately shifting its engagement with Japan away from raw material exports towards value-added manufacturing, logistics, and integrated industrial value chains that can serve both domestic and continental markets.
Speaking at the forum on Thursday, January 15, 2026, at the Ghana EXIM Bank, Mr Ahi urged Japanese companies to take advantage of Ghana’s stable investment environment, expanding industrial parks, and Special Economic Zones to establish production bases that can serve the AfCFTA market.
He noted that Ghana’s ambition is to become a gateway for export-oriented manufacturing into Africa, stressing that the country’s strengths in political stability, enterprise, and a young, trainable workforce make it an attractive destination for long-term industrial investment.
“When Ghana’s stability and workforce are combined with Japan’s discipline, quality, and innovation, the outcome is not trade in raw materials but value addition, jobs, and globally competitive businesses,” he said.
Mr Ahi outlined priority areas for Ghana–Japan cooperation, including industrial platforms and export-oriented manufacturing, manufacturing value chains and industrial inputs, and logistics, trade facilitation, and standards. According to him, these sectors present immediate opportunities for joint ventures that can create jobs and deepen skills transfer for Ghanaians.
Japan’s Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Hiroshi Yoshimoto, described Ghana as a reliable partner for Japanese investors, citing the country’s consistent economic reforms and democratic governance. He reaffirmed Japan’s commitment to supporting technology transfer, infrastructure development, and industrial capacity building in Ghana.
Japan’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr Kunimistu Ayano, also highlighted the importance of strong public-private sector collaboration in translating diplomatic relations into tangible economic outcomes, noting Japan’s interest in supporting industrial development, sustainable energy, and logistics infrastructure in Ghana.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), Simon Madjie, assured potential investors of Ghana’s investor-friendly regulatory framework and strong aftercare services, adding that government initiatives, including the 24-hour economy policy framework, strengthen Ghana’s competitiveness as an investment destination in the sub-region.
In a statement read on his behalf, the Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat encouraged Japanese businesses to view Ghana as a launchpad into the African market, noting that companies operating from Ghana can access a single market of over 1.3 billion people under the AfCFTA.
The forum featured extensive business-to-business engagements, with discussions focusing on sustainable agribusiness, manufacturing, energy solutions, transportation infrastructure, and digital communications. Several Japanese firms expressed interest in partnerships and joint ventures, signalling a growing pipeline of investments that could support Ghana’s industrialisation agenda and deepen economic ties between the two countries.
