The roadshow, organised in partnership with MTN Ghana in collaboration with the Office of the Chief of Staff, Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness, and Industry (MOTAI), the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), Ghana Freezones Authority (GFZA), the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA), the 24-Hour Economy Secretariat, Western Regional Coordinating Council (WRCC), and the Central Regional Coordinating Council (CRCC), will engage investors, district assemblies, and private sector stakeholders.

To be held on the theme “Driving Local Investment: Unlocking Regional Potential, Mapping Opportunities, and Mobilising Growth in the Central and Western Regions,” the roadshow follows similar events in the Volta and Oti Regions earlier in 2025, which included the opening of the GIPC regional office in Ho and engagement with the business communities and traditional authorities in the regions, with active attendance by the regional ministers and their respective Members of Parliament.

To date, the IOMP has successfully profiled 75 investment-ready opportunities across all priority sectors of the Ghanaian economy, including mining, manufacturing, ICT, renewable energy, and agribusiness.

Central and Western Region Economic Outlook

The Central and Western Regions of Ghana stand out as dynamic economic hubs with immense untapped potential across multiple high-growth sectors. In the agriculture and agribusiness sector, the Western Region leads the nation in cocoa production and is a major producer of rubber, while the Central Region excels in cassava and pineapple cultivation.

Key investment opportunities include large-scale commercial farming, agro-processing, modern storage facilities, and sustainable supply chains to significantly reduce post-harvest losses.

The Central Region’s extensive coastline, lagoons, and proximity to the Gulf of Guinea, combined with the Western Region’s marine and riverine resources, create strong foundations for both artisanal and industrial fishing.

Promising investment areas within the fisheries and aquaculture sector include fish feed production, cold-chain infrastructure, modern processing plants for canned tuna and smoked fish, and sustainable technologies to address overfishing and illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing activities.

For tourism and hospitality, the Central Region is home to world-renowned UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the Cape Coast and Elmina Castles, while the Western Region complements this with pristine beaches such as Busua and Dixcove. Investment prospects are substantial in heritage hotels, beach resorts, eco-lodges, adventure tourism (including canopy walks), and conference facilities.

Other investment prospects in these regions include natural resources, such as significant reserves of gold, bauxite, manganese, and diamonds in the Western Region, while the Central Region has smaller deposits, notably kaolin.

The Western Region’s existing oil infrastructure offers an attractive investment opportunity for hybrid energy solutions in the renewable energy sector, while the rivers in the Central Region support mini-hydro projects with viable investment streams in utility-scale solar farms, coastal wind turbines, bioenergy from agricultural residues, and rural mini-grids, directly supporting Ghana’s 24-Hour Economy vision.

There are also high-potential investment opportunities in modern warehousing, dry ports, haulage services, free zones, and integrated logistics hubs to accelerate exports of cocoa, minerals, and processed goods into the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) market.

Call for Support

Despite the region’s economic potential, records from the GIPC show that between 1995 and September 2025, the Central Region recorded 154 projects with Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) of US$ 491.36 million, while the Western Region recorded 294 projects totalling US$10,827 million in FDI.

As the IOMP expands into other regions, the Chief Executive Officer of the GIPC, Mr Simon Madjie, has emphasised the need for strategic partnerships to achieve a nationwide scale of investment-ready projects and strengthen district institutional capacity for proactive investment facilitation.

“This roadshow across the Central and Western Regions will unlock the untapped potential of our coastal economies, and we invite partners to join us in scaling the IOMP nationwide for sustainable, inclusive growth,” he said.

Mr Madjie said the Centre is committed to transforming Ghana into Africa’s premier investment destination by equipping every district with actionable intelligence.

“For many years, QNET as a company has been consistent with positively affecting the lives of people in Ghana and other places where it operates. In our own unique way, we always ensure we bring some joy and happiness to those who need it the most, especially during festive periods like Ramadan, Christmas, New Year celebrations and others. The donation to the Father’s Home Care Ministries in Takoradi is in line with our regular practice of supporting the needy and most deprived people in society. This initiative is aligned with our CSR and company’s philosophy – Raise Yourself to Help Mankind (RYTHM) and it aims to enrich the lives of these vulnerable children,” Mr Biram Fall, Regional General Manager of QNET sub-Saharan Africa explained.

Accepting the timely donation on behalf of Rev. Francis Jackson, Founder of the Orphanage, Miss Adwoa, one of the children in the home, thanked QNET. “We are happy because you have remembered us and donated to us. These items are our lifelines and they will go a long way to sustain us and keep our hopes alive.”

According to Rev. Jackson, “The Father’s Homecare Ministries was registered in 2001 with the Department of Social Welfare in Ghana. The orphanage runs on a foster family setting and encourages strong family living. This is to help children develop their potentials and have a sense of belonging. More than 600 children and youth have been nurtured by the orphanage and some of them now have started their own families and are either gainfully employed or operating their own businesses.”

QNET, through its Corporate Social Responsibility arm, RYTHM Foundation, has been supporting and implementing other social responsible initiatives such as supporting the deaf and blind children at ANOPA, an NGO in the Central region dedicated to empowering blind and deaf children through sports and education. ANOPA Project, a non-governmental organisation based in Cape Coast, in the Central Region of Ghana, provides sports-based intervention that improves the inclusion and integration of vulnerable groups and to build a platform for children with disabilities to learn essential life skills and more through sports education.

In the past, QNET has made several timely donations to other notable institutions and organisations such as the National Chief Imam Educational Foundation, Ghana Immigration Service, Okomfo Anokye Hospital, Ghana Police Hospital, Kumasi South Hospital, Timataaba Orphanage and many others across the Greater Accra, Central, Ashanti, Northern, Upper East and Western Regions of Ghana. In recognition of its exemplary social interventions, QNET’s RYTHM Foundation won the CSR Award for Youth and Disability Inclusion at the 2023 Ghana CSR Excellence Awards organised by the Centre for CSR, West Africa.

About QNET

QNET is a prominent lifestyle and wellness company that uses a direct selling business model to offer a wide selection of exclusive products that enable individuals to embrace a healthier, more balanced life. Established in 1998, QNET marks 25 years of making an impact around the world through its product offerings and e-commerce-powered business model, in 2023.

QNET proudly holds memberships in the Direct Selling Association in several countries, the Hong Kong Health Food Association, the Health Supplements Industry Association of Singapore, and more. QNET is also active in several global sports sponsorships including in its role as the official direct selling partner of the Manchester City Football Club and the Confederation of African Football (CAF), underscoring its commitment to excellence and global reach.

To learn more about QNET and its mission of RYTHM – Raise Yourself To Help Mankind, please visit www.qnet.net.

Speaking after a tour of the community on Friday, January 21, 2022, Vice President Bawumia expressed the condolences of the government to the families of the 13 persons who had died from the blast so far.

Dr Bawumia also stressed that the government would do everything on its part to support the families of the deceased and the injured and cater for the medical bills of the 179 injured persons.

He further commended the various security agencies and the community members for their swift response to the tragedy.

For the houses that have been destroyed, we are already beginning to think about how to rehabilitate and rebuild for the community here,” Dr Bawumia said.

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I want to assure Nananom that his Excellency the President (Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo) has already given the directive. We have already spoken to the State Housing Corporation and are in consultation with the mining companies around here, we will quickly try to put in place facilities that will help those who have been displaced. That will be a priority for all of us.

Just to assure you that government is fully engaged in all these processes and we are going to see to it that the people here are taken care of. We will learn lessons… but for now, we are very much concerned about how to complete this rescue effort, how to take care of the injured, how to take care of the families and people who have survived”.

Hospital bills

After a visit to some of the injured victims of the explosion who are receiving treatment at Aseda Health Centre, Bogoso, Dr. Bawumia also disclosed that the government would cater for all their medical bills.

Cause of explosion

Preliminary investigations by the Police have established that a mining explosive vehicle moving from Tarkwa to the Chirano Gold Mines collided with a motorcycle resulting in the explosion at Appiatse, a farming community between Bogoso and Bawdie in the Prestea Huni-Valley municipality in the Western Region.

Most of the victims were rescued and are on admission at various hospitals and clinics within the Bogoso Municipality.

Government and private senior high schools (SHSs) in the Western Region on Thursday had their turn of the ongoing third phase disinfection exercise in secondary schools across the country.

The national exercise follows a directive by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to the Ministry of Education (MoE) and Ghana Education Service (GES) to ensure that all SHSs in the country were disinfected before reopening on October 5, 2020 for Form Two students. And it is also aimed at keeping the schools’ environment safe from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Thursday’s exercise saw Zoomlion Ghana Limited (ZGL), the company undertaking the exercise, disinfect a number of schools in the region. These included Fijah SHS, Takoradi, St John’s SHS, Takoradi Senior High School among others.

Other institutions that equally benefited from the exercise were Sekondi, Community Development Vocational & Technical Institute, Takoradi and a community park at CK Mann Anaji in the Effia Kwesimintsim Municipal.

At Fijah SHS, which was the first school to be disinfected, the Headmaster, Kenneth Dotse Agbomafzi, was highly impressed with the exercise by Zoomlion, commending the company and government for the initiative.

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He allayed fears of parents and assured them of the safety of their children. He went on to explain that this was because all safety precautions had been taken by the school to protect the retuning Form Two students. He was full of praise for the staff members of the school.

He used the opportunity to throw light on a challenge faced by his school.
According to him, the school has no fence wall which situation was making it difficult to supervise and control many of the students.

He indicated that because there was no fence wall, many of them were always tempted to run to town.
Consequently, Agbomafzi appealed to the central government to help his school with a fence wall to prevent students from running to town.

The Regional Vector Control Manager of Zoomlion for both Western and Western North Regions, Samuel Adu, explained that the exercise was to repose confidence and to assure the Form Two students, teaching and non-teaching staff members that their schools were safe for academic work.

Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Darko-Mensah, has given assurance that his region was jealously guarding against a surge in COVID-19 cases.

As a region with few COVID-19 patients, we are doing everything humanly possible to jealously guard against a surge and even halt the spread,” he stated.

He said that explains why the region has never relaxed in ensuring that the citizens religiously comply with all the COVID-19 safety protocols.

Darko-Mensah gave the assurance when he launched the phase two of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) disinfection, fumigation and cleaning exercise in markets, lorry parks and public spaces at the Takoradi Market Circle, Takoradi, Western Region.

He was particularly excited that all the markets, lorry parks and public toilets in the Western Region were going to be covered in the exercise.

According to him, his region had also set up various isolation centres aimed at containing the spread of the virus. He, therefore, entreated the residents to continue to adhere to all the safety protocols, especially now that many of the COVID-19 restrictions had been eased.

Earlier on Saturday on the sidelines of a similar exercise in Shama District, the District Chief Executive Officer (DCE) of Shama District Assembly, Joseph Amoah, advised the Ghanaians against being complacent in the country’s battle against the COVID-19 epidemic.

…the high number of COVID-19 patient recoveries across the country should not make us lose our guard or be complement, but rather drive us collectively to win the war against this infectious virus,” he cautioned.

The exercise, which covered all the markets and public spaces in the district, was done by Zoomlion Ghana Limited.
According to the Shama DCE, the citizenry must be “serious” with the COVID-19 preventive measures directed by the President and the health professionals.

…if we follow the protocols outlined by our health experts, the war against COVID-19 would eventually be won,” he averred.

In this regard, he charged Zoomlion to do a “very good job.”

“And to ensure that that is done environmental health professionals within the district have been asked to monitor the exercise and report back,” he revealed.

Hon Amoah said the “prudent” measures put in place by President Akufo-Addo had — to a very large extent – helped to contain the spread of this malignant virus across the country,” he said.

He buttressed this point by indicating that as of Saturday, August 1, 2020, about 32,000 COVID-19 patients nationwide have recovered and have been discharged, leaving 3,223 active cases.

In the Western Region, we have recorded 3,223 COVID-19 cases out of which 6 have sadly succumbed to the disease with 2,544 persons being discharged, leaving active cases of 83.,” he said.

For Shama district, we have 83 positive COVID-19 cases, 75 recoveries and 5 active cases,” he noted.
Again, he disclosed that 23 students who contracted the virus within the district had all recovered.

Hon. Amoah used the chance to commend the district health directorate, NADMO, COVID-19 Emergency Task force and security services for their efforts in the district’s fight against the coronavirus disease.
Giving a breakdown of the exercise within his district, he said, 33 markets, 49 public toilets and all the lorry stations and public health facilities would be covered.

The Metro Coordinating Director, Sekondi Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA), John Nana Owu, addressing journalists at Kojokrom Lorry Station in the Essikado Sub-Metro, appealed to residents in the metropolitan to follow the COVID-19 protocols.

As COVID-19 restrictions have been eased, I want to use this opportunity to reiterate the need for citizens in this metropolitan to be disciplined in their activities and comply with all the COVID-19 preventive protocols,” he advised.

He revealed that 35 markets together with public toilets and lorry parks were expected to benefit from the exercise.
Places disinfected and fumigated included Kojokrom Market and Lorry Station, Essikado Ketan Market and Lorry Station—in the Sekondi Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA)—Shama Health Centre, Shama Abor Public Toilet, Shama Junction Market and Taxi Station—all in the Shama district among others.

Waste management giant, Zoomlion Ghana Limited, in collaboration with the Western Regional Coordinating Council (WRCC), has launched the disinfection and fumigation of military bases and basic schools exercise in Western Region to help fight the coronavirus pandemic.

The mass disinfection and exercise meant to control and prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus on campuses will benefit thirteen (13) military facilities, eleven (11) tertiary institutions and 1,180 basic schools both private and public.

Speaking at the launch, Mr. Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, Western Regional Minister, expressed the hope that the company will do a good work and called on the institutions and organizations to accord them with the needed support it would require for a successful exercise.

“All must be involved, from the households to the churches, to the mosques, to the markets and to all enterprises. Wear a mask when you step out of your home, ensure social distance and keep washing of hands periodically”, he cautioned.

According to him, the commitment of Government to fight the COVID-19 pandemic is clear in all the positive actions of Government which the consistent fumigation and disinfection of facilities is an integral part.

Abdulai Abdallah, Western Regional Manager of Zoomlion said that his outfit was using 60 sprayers and 50 motorised and knapsack spraying machines with respect to the spraying of the military facilities with about 900 sprayers for the spraying of the tertiary institutions and the basic schools.

He added that the company will bring onboard other partners to assist in the execution of the two weeks exercise.

The mining industry in Ghana and the entire West African Sub region will soon receive a major boost following the establishment of a world-class Geochemical Laboratory at Tarkwa in the Western region of Ghana by SGS Ghana Limited.

The facility will complement the existing facilities available in the country by ensuring that clients receive full scale geochemical analytical services at the highest quality and promptness that is required.

The Client Liaison Manager of SGS Ghana at Tarkwa, Wilfred Appiah who made the announcement at the just ended maiden edition of the Ghana Gold Expo held in Takoradi said, the facility is one of SGS Ghana’s top notch laboratories in the sub region.

With a network of what some have described as super labs, clients in the mining industry can enjoy various standardised and validated methods and techniques using state of the art equipment that spurs growth and reaches desired targets timeously.

Players in the mining industry can also get enhanced services offered by sister labs for MMI (Mobile Metal Ion) analysis, multi-element analyses by ICP-AES, ICP-MS and XRF. SGS also invested in FAST technology (Field Analytical Services & Testing) using the pXRF, FTIR and ED-XRF scanning instruments for mineralogical sample analyses. Carbon and Sulphur analyses are offered from SGS Maslab in Tema which is also fed from the new SGS environmental feeder, lab recently opened in Cyanide area in Tarkwa.

Mr. Appiah noted that SGS Ghana is part of the global entity SGS, which is recognised as a global benchmark for quality and integrity and the world’s leading inspections, verification, testing and certification company with offices worldwide including Accra, Tema, Tarkwa, Takoradi, Damang, Ahafo, Akyem and Obuasi.

SGS which was established in 1878 in Europe, opened its Ghana operations in 1960 in Ghana and provide services in the following sectors; Oil, Gas and Chemicals, Agriculture, Food and Life, Certification and Business Enhancement, Environment, Health and Safety, Government and Institutions, Industrial and Minerals. The company has a network of 2,600 offices and laboratories and more than 94,000 employees around the world.

The Convenor of the Ghana Gold Expo, Dr. Steven Blessing Ackrah expressed excitement about the new facility adding that it was a good effort at ensuring responsible mining as the theme of the Expo indicates; “Promoting Responsible Gold Mining and Zero Mercury.”

“Contributions to the facilities in Ghana, such as the Geochemical Laboratory in Tarkwa by SGS continue to place Ghana favourably for responsible gold mining in the region,” he added.

He observed that the enthusiasm and overwhelming representation by stakeholders in the mining industry was testament to the “strength of gold in the current market and the high level of interest in doing business in Ghana”.

Gold price have hit $1667 as of March 11 and have shown strong recent gains amid stock market crises worldwide.

Henry Treku who is charge of Strategy and Partnerships for Ghana Gold Expo also noted that the high level investors who attended the expo are in the right place at the right time if they were interested in producing gold responsibly and sustainably. “Ghana is good for such opportunities,” he stressed.

He thanked SGS for sharing the news about the new laboratory and extending an invitation to key stakeholders to witness the world-class facility. However we have been informed that due to the Covid 19 outbreak, and the recent press release of 2 cases in Ghana, SGS was compelled to postpone the opening function which was scheduled to be held on the 18th of March in Tarkwa.