The Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening Ghana’s industrial base during separate working visits to Wahu Company Limited and the Entrance Pharmaceutical & Research Centre in Accra on Friday.
The visits formed part of her broader industrial engagement strategy aimed at deepening collaboration with local manufacturers, identifying operational challenges, and outlining policy interventions to support business expansion, export growth, and job creation.
After discussions with management teams at both companies, the Minister toured their facilities to observe production processes, product lines, and operational systems.
At Wahu, co-founder and CEO Ma Valerie Labi highlighted the company’s significant growth in recent years, including expanded production capacity, product diversification, and ambitious plans to scale both local and export operations.
She disclosed that the facility can assemble up to 20,000 vehicles annually, operates entirely on solar power, and is designed for continuous 24-hour production cycles.
Ms. Labi also noted that Wahu is heavily investing in local talent. Through a partnership with the UK’s FCDO, Ghanaian engineers are receiving advanced battery technology training, with train-the-trainer programmes now established locally.
Their long-term goal is to fully localise battery pack production in Ghana. The company currently employs 550 workers and aims to become one of Ghana’s largest youth employers by the end of 2026.
She further announced a new OEM partnership with Ox Delivers, which is relocating the production of electric flat-pack agricultural trucks from the UK to Ghana. Wahu’s expanded fleet now supports delivery services, okada mobility, and agricultural value chains such as soybeans, chilli peppers, and cocoa.
On policy constraints, Ms. Labi stressed that Wahu faces high taxation and is unable to access VAT exemptions available to traditional OEMs because the Ghana Automotive Development Policy does not cover their operations. Despite being local manufacturers, the company has had to register under the Free Zones regime to facilitate exports to Liberia, Zambia, and Togo.
The Minister commended Wahu’s innovation and resilience, reiterating that industrial growth remains central to Ghana’s economic transformation agenda. She assured the company of her ministry’s readiness to collaborate closely with the private sector to address operational bottlenecks.
At Entrance Pharmaceuticals, a major concern raised was the absence of a maize starch processing plant in West Africa—even though maize starch is a key input for pharmaceutical production. Management appealed for government support to attract investment into maize starch processing, noting that such a facility would benefit the pharmaceutical, beverage, and ethanol industries.
Dr Tobbin further highlighted the poor access road to the company’s facility despite its status as one of Ghana’s largest pharmaceutical production hubs.
Mrs Ofosu-Adjare described these proposals as timely and strategic, emphasising the urgency for Ghana to begin producing essential raw materials locally to drive industrialisation, strengthen competitiveness under the AfCFTA, and boost value addition.
She assured that her ministry will fast-track investor engagement toward establishing maize starch processing capacity and will work with regional counterparts to ensure timely payments to Ghanaian exporters.
