Mahama Urges Japanese Firms to Combine Expertise with Ghanaian Resources

Ghana is inviting Japanese investors to harness their technological expertise alongside Ghana’s abundant natural and human resources to tap into Africa’s growing economic opportunities, President John Mahama said on the sidelines of the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9).

“Let us marry Japanese precision with Ghanaian potential and create a win-win situation for ourselves,” Mahama told a gathering of business leaders and investors during the Ghana Presidential Investment Forum.

The call comes amid growing economic ties between the two countries. Japanese companies have invested over $152 million in Ghana between 2000 and 2024, with bilateral trade expanding 24% from 2020 to 2024. The President said Ghana’s stability, democratic governance, and investor-friendly reforms make it an ideal gateway to West Africa and the wider continent.

Mahama highlighted Ghana’s strategic location, where the Meridian and Equator intersect, and its role as host of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which provides duty-free access to a market of 1.4 billion consumers.

The President outlined reforms to the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre Act, removing minimum capital requirements to make it easier for businesses of all sizes to establish operations in the country. He urged Japanese firms to explore opportunities in automotive assembly, agribusiness, agri-processing, textile manufacturing, industrial parks, and energy production, noting that brands like Toyota and Honda already operate successfully in Ghana.

Ghana’s Volta Economic Corridor offers additional opportunities for industrial-scale agribusiness and export-oriented manufacturing, powered by fertile land and water from the Volta Lake. Mahama also cited the country’s modern ports, industrial parks, and energy infrastructure as key enablers for trade and investment.

The President emphasized Ghana’s young, English-speaking, tech-savvy workforce, skilled in fintech, AI, and robotics, while promising investors fast-tracked approvals, public-private partnership options, blended financing, and business protection guarantees.

Mahama further unveiled Ghana’s $10 billion “big push” plan, aimed at infrastructure development, industrial growth, supply chain enhancement, and positioning Ghana as Africa’s manufacturing and export hub. 

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