The Ashanti Region is set to benefit from a major industrial boost with plans underway to establish a machinery park under the 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme, with key milestones targeted for May 2026.
Director for Partnerships at the 24-Hour Economy Authority, Ishmael Nii Dodoo, disclosed that the government is collaborating with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) to establish the Kumasi Machinery Innovation Park.
The facility is expected to position the Ashanti Region as the industrial engine driving Ghana’s manufacturing ambitions.
“For the 24-Hour Economy, we want the Ashanti Region to be the nerve centre of driving industrial machinery. We are investing in what we call the Kumasi Machinery Innovation Park,” Dr. Dodoo said.
The park is designed to enable Ghana to locally produce a full range of industrial machinery required to support factories and industries under the 24-Hour Economy initiative, significantly reducing dependence on imported equipment.
Dr. Dodoo noted that Ghana currently spends approximately $1.5 billion annually on the importation of industrial machinery.
“In Ghana, we import about $1.5 billion worth of industrial machines. We can produce them here,” he stated, adding that the facility will cover the full production cycle—from fabricating machines and components to developing the technology required to operate them.
A key feature of the initiative is its partnership with Suame Magazine, one of West Africa’s largest artisanal manufacturing clusters.
According to him, investors have already been identified to collaborate with the Suame Magazine community to professionalise and modernise operations.
“We have lined up a number of investors who are coming in to set up the industrial park, who will work with the Suame Magazine team to professionalise whatever they are doing, digitalise them and get them to be producing skills and quality that will meet exportable standards,” he said.
The ambition extends beyond Ghana, with the park expected to position the country as a machinery production hub for the African continent.
On the project’s current status, Dr. Dodoo confirmed that land has been secured and that government is engaging investment forums in collaboration with the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) to attract anchor tenants and formalise commitments.
“We are engaging a number of investment forums to work with GIPC and have anchor tenants come in to set base. We are going to sign MOUs with them,” he said.
He added that by May 2026, the park is expected to be “shaping up in terms of bankability.”
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