President John Mahama has called on Ghanaian investors to position themselves to benefit from the economic opportunities expected to emerge from the construction of the bridge over the Afram River at Ekye Amanfrom, describing the project as a transformative investment for the Afram Plains.

Speaking during a meeting with members of the Kwahu Business Advocacy Group, the President said the bridge would open up the vast agricultural potential of the Afram Plains, which has remained largely underdeveloped due to years of poor accessibility.

According to him, the project will make it easier to access the area, attract investment and support the establishment of large-scale agribusinesses capable of serving both domestic and export markets.

“This development programme is about not only developing the agricultural potential of the Afram Plains. The Afram Plains is one huge expanse of land that for many years has been cut off from the rest of the country because of the difficulty in entering the Afram Plains and then the river systems that almost completely surround it,” he said.

“The new bridge over the River Afram at Ekye Amanfrom is going to be the game changer for the Afram Plains.”

President Mahama urged members of the Kwahu Business Advocacy Group to invest early in the area rather than wait for foreign investors to take advantage of the opportunities.

“I'll be happy that the Kwahu Business Advocacy Group takes advantage of it quickly instead of us waiting and then some foreigners will come and start establishing plantations there and putting in agribusiness,” he said.

“You must take advantage and see how you can utilise that land once the bridge is built to establish various products that we can process both for local consumption and for export.”

The President identified several high-potential sectors for investment, including cashew cultivation and processing, rice production, palm oil, rubber and other agricultural value chains.

He cited the example of former Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company (BOST) Chief Executive Kwame Awuah-Darko, who has established a large-scale rice production project in the area.

“I had the privilege of visiting him, and he's now putting in his rice mill to produce fresh Ghanaian-grown rice for the local market,” President Mahama noted.

The President also said the Afram Plains possess enormous tourism potential, particularly around the Volta Lake.

He said the lake presents opportunities for the development of marinas, lakeside resorts and other tourism infrastructure that could create jobs and stimulate economic growth in the area.

“So these are some of the ideas—palm oil processing, plantations, rubber. There are so many things that we can do on the Afram Plains,” he added.