Two of Media General’s subsidiaries- Akoma FM, TV3, and Corporate Integrity Consult as well as the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) have begun Regional Investment Roadshows to promote district-level investment opportunities and boost economic growth in the Ashanti Region.
The event, which was held on Wednesday, March 11,2026, attracted businesses, farming groups, Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) and the general public.
Anchored in the centre’s Investment Opportunity Mapping Project (IOMP), the initiative seeks to identify and promote investment-ready ventures in all 43 MMDAs in Ashanti Region, with a strategic focus on regional diversification and sustainable development.
Through business-to- business (B2B), engagements, company visits, and project presentations, the GIPC aims to connect local entrepreneurs with both domestic and foreign investors, fostering partnerships that enhance value chains, drive innovation, and strengthen local economies.
The Chief Executive Officer of the GIPC, Simon Madjie, said Ashanti Region holds a strategic position in Ghana’s economy and is well placed to drive the country’s next phase of economic expansion. According to him, located in south-central Ghana, it is the second most populous region in Ghana.
The region is widely recognised as one of the most vibrant commercial and trading centres in West Africa. Its central location enables it to connect seven of Ghana’s sixteen regions, making it a critical hub for the movement of goods, services, and people across the country.
He pointed out that, beyond its historical and cultural significance, the Ashanti Region plays an important role in Ghana’s domestic trade network. It links the northern and southern parts of the country and serves as an important transit route to several landlocked Sahelian markets, including Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Chad. This strategic connectivity positions the region as a key gateway for regional commerce and cross-border trade.
The region also has a strong manufacturing base, a vibrant Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) ecosystem, a large consumer market, and one of the most dynamic entrepreneurial cultures in the country.
He believed that despite these advantages, investment levels in the region have not fully matched its potential. From 1994 to June 2025, the region attracted approximately US$3.4 billion in foreign direct investment across 410 projects registered with the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC). While significant, this figure tells us that much more remains to be unlocked.
The challenge has not been a lack of opportunities. Instead, many promising projects have failed to attract the attention of investors because they have not been clearly identified, properly packaged, and presented in a way that meets investor expectations. This is the gap we are determined to bridge.
“Last year, the GIPC launched the Investment Opportunity Mapping Project (IOMP), a nationwide initiative to systematically identify, profile, and package investment opportunities across all 261 districts of Ghana. It represents a deliberate shift in how we promote investment. We are moving from a model that highlights broad and general opportunities to one where specific opportunities are prepared, packaged, and presented to investors as bankable projects. Most importantly, we are decentralising the investment landscape to ensure that investment is not concentrated only in the Greater Accra Region.
This roadshow is a key part of the IOMP, and it is designed to showcase the opportunities in the Ashanti Region to both local and international investors. It provides a platform to connect project owners, businesses, financiers, and partners, and to turn identified opportunities into real investments that will drive jobs, growth, and regional development.
We began this journey in 2025 with the Volta and Oti Regional Roadshows. Earlier this year, we successfully engaged stakeholders in the Central and Western Regions. Today, we are proud to bring this national initiative to the Ashanti Region. From here, the roadshow continues to the Western North Region as we steadily build a nationwide investment pipeline,” Mr Madjie said.
He stated that, this initiative is closely aligned with the President’s vision of building an industrialised, self-sufficient, and export-driven economy, and it complements key government initiatives such as the Feed Ghana Programme, the National Infrastructure Development Programme (Big Push), and the 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme.
“Together, these initiatives are designed to open up and connect our districts and regions, scale up production to support domestic industries, add value to local raw materials, expand value-added exports, create jobs at scale, and build a more resilient economy. The Ashanti Region is particularly well positioned to play a critical role in this investment promotion drive to Ashanti Region.
However, investment promotion does not rest on the GIPC alone. It requires strong collaboration from all stakeholders: the Regional Coordinating Council, the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, Traditional Authorities, local businesses, financial institutions, and development partners.
Let us work together to tell the world the opportunities in the Ashanti region. We must also build on the goodwill created by Ghana’s positive economic turnaround under the leadership of His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama and use this momentum to position the Ashanti Region at the forefront of global investment attention.
Looking ahead, I am confident that when we gather for the next Ashanti Regional Investment Roadshow, our conversations would have evolved. We will be speaking about the opportunities we have unlocked, the projects we have delivered, and the jobs we have created together.
As we move forward, let me assure you that GIPC will continue to provide the support, coordination, and facilitation needed to turn investment interest in this region into real, impactful projects,” he said.
The Chief Executive Officer of Corporate Integrity Consult, Charles Kusi Appiah Kubi, said for decades, Ashanti Region has been one of Ghana’s economic pillars.
He said as the historic heartland of commerce, culture, craftsmanship and robust agriculture, anchored by the vibrant city of Kumasi, Ashanti has long demonstrated resilience and enterprise.
“Yet the question before us is critical: How do we transition from a commerce-driven economy to a production-driven industrial powerhouse?” he asked.
The Ashanti Region has historically been one of the most economically vibrant regions in Ghana. From the era of the ancient Ashanti Kingdom, the region was renowned for its thriving trade networks skilled craftsmanship, robust agriculture, and gold production.
Today, the Ashanti Region remains strategically positioned as one of the country’s regions, with immense potential to drive Ghana’s next phase of industrial growth.
By Benjamin Aidoo
