The Ashanti Region is set to host a state-of-the-art industrial machinery park under the 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme, with key milestones targeted for May 2026.

Dr Ishmael Nii Dodoo, Director for Partnerships at the 24-Hour Economy Authority, said the government is collaborating with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) to establish the Kumasi Machinery Innovation Park, aimed at positioning the region as the industrial hub of 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 told journalists.

The park is designed to enable Ghana to locally produce a full range of industrial machinery to support factories and industries created under the 24-Hour Economy initiative, significantly reducing the country’s reliance on imported equipment. Currently, Ghana spends about $1.5 billion annually on imported industrial machines.

“In Ghana, we import about $1.5 billion worth of industrial machines. We can produce them here,” Dr Dodoo said, adding that the facility will cover the entire production cycle, from fabricating machines and components to developing the technology to operate them.

A central feature of the initiative is its partnership with Suame Magazine, the informal automobile cluster in Kumasi, one of West Africa’s largest artisanal manufacturing hubs. Investors have already been lined up to work with the Suame Magazine community to professionalise and modernise operations.

“We have lined up several investors who are coming in to set up the industrial park, who will work with the Suame Magazine team to digitalise operations and produce skills and quality that meet export standards,” Dr Dodoo said.

The park is expected to position Ghana as a machinery production hub for Africa, creating opportunities not only for domestic industries but also for export markets. Land for the project has already been secured, and the government is engaging investment forums in collaboration with the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) to attract anchor tenants and formalise commitments.

“We are engaging several investment forums to work with GIPC and have anchor tenants come in to set a base. We are going to sign MOUs with them,” Dr Dodoo added, noting that by May 2026, the park is expected to be “shaping up in terms of bankability.”