The Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) will host a regional investment roadshow in the Central and Western Regions from January 19th to 23rd, 2026, as part of its flagship Investment Opportunity Mapping Project (IOMP). This initiative builds on the project's momentum to spotlight investment-ready opportunities and foster district-level economic growth.

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.