The Chief Executive of the Ghana Export-Import Bank (GEXIM), Sylvester Adinam Mensah, has described the commissioned Northshore Apparel Hub in Savelugu as a powerful demonstration of Ghana’s capacity to use local enterprise and development finance to drive industrialisation, create jobs and expand exports.

Mr Mensah said the wholly Ghanaian-owned apparel manufacturing facility represented a practical realisation of the vision behind the establishment of GEXIM a decade ago — to support productive economic activity, accelerate the growth of Ghanaian exports and generate foreign exchange.

The Northshore Apparel Hub, developed by Northshore Apparel Ghana Limited with funding support from GEXIM and other partners, is expected to create 3,000 jobs in its first phase, with employment projected to reach 10,000 when the facility becomes fully operational.

Speaking at the commissioning of the facility, Mr Mensah said the project marked a new chapter of economic opportunity for Northern Ghana and demonstrated the potential of targeted investment in productive sectors to deliver benefits well beyond the walls of a factory.

“What we see today is a realisation of a vision for a Ghana that produces, exports, and creates opportunities for its own people,” he said.

“It marks the opening of a new chapter of opportunity for Northern Ghana and Ghanaians.”

Mr Mensah traced the origins of the bank’s support for industrial and export-oriented enterprises to the vision behind GEXIM’s establishment 10 years ago under the leadership of President John Dramani Mahama.

He said the bank was established as a policy and development institution with a mandate to accelerate Ghanaian exports and generate foreign exchange, while financing productive sectors such as agribusiness and supporting job creation.

“Ten years ago, under the distinguished and transformational leadership of our visionary president, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, the Ghana Ex-Im Bank was established as the foremost policy and development bank, among others, to accelerate the growth of Ghanaian exports and further generate foreign exchange,” Mr Mensah said.

He commended President Mahama for his foresight and leadership in establishing the institution, particularly as GEXIM marks its 10th anniversary.

According to the GEXIM chief executive, the Northshore facility illustrates how the bank's original development mandate can be translated into concrete investments capable of changing livelihoods and strengthening the productive capacity of the economy.

He said the bank was particularly pleased to be associated with a project that combines local ownership with industrial-scale production and export potential.

Mr Mensah said garments and apparel manufacturing had been deliberately prioritised under GEXIM’s five-year strategic plan because of the sector’s potential to support economic transformation.

He described the bank’s partnership with Northshore Apparel as a cornerstone of the strategy, saying the investment was designed not merely to finance a factory but to strengthen Ghana’s domestic manufacturing base and position local producers to compete in international markets.

The project is being supported through a blended-finance structure involving GEXIM, the Investing for Employment (IFE) facility of KfW, the German development bank, and equity from the project promoters.

Mr Mensah said the financing model had enabled the partners to mobilise capital aligned with the shared objective of accelerating industrial transformation and improving Ghana’s export competitiveness.

“Through a blended finance model that combines Exim’s support, the IFE facility of KFW, the Development Bank of Germany, and the equity of the project promoters, we have mobilised mission-aligned capital to accelerate industrial transformation and export competitiveness,” he said.

The partnership was formalised in March when GEXIM and Northshore Apparel signed a memorandum of understanding to expand domestic garment production, create sustainable employment opportunities and strengthen Ghana’s position in the global apparel market.

For Mr Mensah, the commissioning of the factory represents the physical manifestation of that commitment.

“This facility stands as a tangible demonstration of that commitment,” he said.

The decision to locate the apparel manufacturing facility in Savelugu, he said, was equally significant.

Mr Mensah said the project promoters had demonstrated confidence in the skills, energy and potential of people in Northern Ghana by bringing large-scale industrial activity to the region.

He argued that the economic impact of the facility would extend beyond the people employed directly by the factory.

As production expands, the hub is expected to stimulate demand for a wide range of goods and services, including transportation, food services, accommodation, maintenance, packaging and logistics.

The resulting economic activity, he said, would create additional opportunities for local businesses and entrepreneurs while enabling workers to improve the welfare of their families.

“The wages earned here will support households, help educate children, improve access to healthcare, and strengthen local businesses,” Mr Mensah said.

“In this way, the factory’s economic value will extend far beyond its walls.”

The GEXIM chief executive said the significance of the project should therefore be assessed not only in terms of its production capacity but also in the livelihoods and economic opportunities it would generate.

With 3,000 jobs expected to be created during the first phase and employment potentially rising to 10,000 when the facility reaches full operational capacity, the Northshore Apparel Hub is expected to become an important source of employment in the region.

Mr Mensah placed particular emphasis on the opportunities the facility could create for young people.

He said every young person trained and employed at the factory would gain more than an income, describing employment as a pathway to greater economic independence and a new direction in life.

“Every young person trained and employed here represents a life given a new lease of life and a new direction,” he said.

The workers, he added, would support their families and contribute to the wider local economy, while their participation in formal employment would also generate tax and social-security contributions.

At the national level, the workers would be contributing to the production of garments with the potential to earn foreign exchange for Ghana.

The project thus brings together several of the priorities associated with industrial development: job creation, skills development, domestic production, value addition, formal employment and export growth.

Mr Mensah also highlighted the energy infrastructure supporting the facility, including its 500-kilowatt power capacity and solar-energy component.

The integration of solar energy into the factory’s operations could help strengthen the facility’s energy resilience while supporting efforts to make industrial production more sustainable.

Reliable power is particularly important for apparel manufacturing, where production schedules, machinery and large-scale operations depend on consistent electricity supply.

The facility’s energy arrangements therefore form part of the wider infrastructure required to establish a competitive manufacturing operation capable of supplying both domestic and international markets.

Mr Mensah said the Northshore Apparel Hub also challenged the perception that large-scale industrial ventures capable of competing globally must necessarily be foreign-owned.

He described the project as proof that wholly Ghanaian-owned businesses could develop and operate large manufacturing facilities with the potential to compete on the international stage.

“The North Shore Apparel Hub is proof that wholly Ghanaian-owned businesses can undertake large-scale industrial projects capable of competing on the global stage,” he said.

The facility is expected to use existing trade arrangements, including the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), as well as other trade opportunities, to access international markets.

Mr Mensah said this would allow garments produced in Ghana to reach markets beyond the country’s borders while creating opportunities for increased foreign-exchange earnings.

“Through the African Growth and Opportunities Act and other trade arrangements, this facility will export Ghana-made apparel far beyond our borders,” he said.

For Ghana, the significance lies in the potential to move further up the value chain by producing finished garments locally rather than relying heavily on imported finished products.

A successful apparel-export industry could also create opportunities for local suppliers of textiles, packaging, transport, logistics and other production inputs, further deepening domestic industrial linkages.

Mr Mensah also outlined the bank’s approach to financing businesses under its revised strategic direction.

He said GEXIM had “reset and redefined” its lending scope in line with the President’s development vision, with greater emphasis on directing scarce financial resources towards projects capable of delivering significant economic impact.

He stressed that the bank did not extend financing based on sentiments, but assessed projects according to their potential contribution to national development.

“Ghana Exim Bank has reset and redefined its lending scope, consistent with the president’s vision. It does not lend based on sentiments,” he said.

“Behind every facility we extend is a placement of scarce resources where their impact can be significant.”

He said Northshore Apparel had approached the bank like many other businesses seeking financing, but its proposal stood out because of the scale of its potential economic impact.

“North Shore Apparel came in like many others, but few make arguments as compelling as this one,” Mr Mensah said.

“We are proud to have seen the light, we are proud to have supported them, and we are encouraged by what we see.”

Beyond the immediate employment and export figures, Mr Mensah described the investment as a statement of confidence in Ghanaian entrepreneurship.

“This is more than a factory; it is a powerful statement of what Ghana can achieve when local capital is invested in local enterprise,” he said.