The executive secretary of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Seth Twum Akwaboah has called on government to give priority to the country's industrial hub to enhance the socio-economic development of the country.

According to him, there has been major infrastructural challenges facing the industrial hubs of the country, which needed to be fixed to ensure smooth business operations.

Speaking to Joy News Friday, Mr. Twum Akwaboah noted that the country lacked serious planning and this should be  changed.

He was sharing his perspective on whether the decline in local business in the industrial area is a sign of hard times being faced by Ghanaian business people and whether the industrial area could be restored to a hub for Ghanaian business and manufacturing.

According to him, government must ensure that businesses springing up in areas earmarked for industrial areas conform to activities that the area had been earmarked for.

The executive secretary of AGI also intimated that floods, dilapidated road network, movement of big trucks and terrible traffic situation among others, account for the relocation of businesses at the industrial area.

He therefore called on government to fix the situation as soon as possible.

The main industrial area road used to be a very busy area bustling with lots of business activities every day, but over the years, companies have relocated, leaving the place inactive.

JoyNews' Beatrice Adu visited the Industrial Area in Accra and reported that some companies that used to do active business there have become defunct.

Companies like Branco and NODECO International Ghana Limited have become warehouses. NODECO for example used to sell and repair pumps and generators.

A former worker at one of the companies, who resides in the area for the past twenty years also indicated that a pharmacy he worked for, was forced to close on weekends because people don’t show up to buy.

The situation applies to many companies in the Industrial Area as lots of them have collapsed, or relocated.  

Many workers at the Industrial Area blame the situation on bad roads, traffic jams and worsening economic conditions across the country.

Meanwhile, few companies such as AshFoam, Latex Foam, Somotex and Ghana Commercial Bank still continue to do business in the area, even though a lady worker says business is very slow.

However, companies that continue to do business here are hoping government will at least fix the bad road to help ease the traffic. This, they believe, will help the industrial area become the business center it was known for several years ago.

However, Mr. Twum Akaboah noted that it is difficult to really establish the cause of the relocation of businesses as it could not be attributed to the infrastructural challenges facing the industrial areas.