24-Hour Economy Secretariat Targets Structural Transformation Through Agri-Corridor Investments And Patient Capital – Dr Ishmael Dodoo

Speaking at the 14th Ghana Economic Forum (GEF) in Accra, themed “Currency Stability – A Reset for Sustainable Economic Growth,”Dr Dodoo noted that Ghana’s economic deformities stem from heavy import dependence and foreign dominance in key sectors.

“The deformity in the economic structure is real — to the extent that your second and third largest imports total about $350 million annually. And 80% of our GDP is owned by three countries which are foreign to this nation,” he stated.

Dr Dodoo explained that the GROW24 initiative seeks to address these structural gaps by creating agricultural growth corridors anchored on cassava, rice, maize, soy, and sugarcane production. Under the initiative, 300,000 hectares of land have been secured and developed into land banks with supporting infrastructure — including irrigation, energy, and storage facilities — to attract private sector investment.

“We have more than 10 investors who have expressed interest and signed deals, and over 60,000 cooperatives have been organised around these corridors to act as aggregators,” he disclosed.

According to him, these agri-corridors are also linked to processing zones and industrial clusters, such as value-chain cassava processing plants, aimed at enhancing local production for both domestic consumption and export.