President John Dramani Mahama has reaffirmed his government’s commitment to transforming the Afram Plains into a leading centre for agriculture and agro-processing activities.

Speaking at the Kwahu Business Forum, the President acknowledged the region’s enormous potential and outlined plans to secure investment and develop critical infrastructure to support growth in the area.

“I want to thank Nana for the comments he made about the Afram Plains, and I want to assure him that Afram Plains is in our sight in terms of its agricultural potential and agro-processing,” he stated.

He explained that the area has been designated as a Special Agro-Processing Zone (SAPZ), aligning with similar initiatives supported by the African Development Bank (AfDB).

“We’ve labelled Afram Plains a special agro-processing zone, SAPZ. And in line with the same programme that the African Development Bank is pursuing, we intend to achieve substantial funding from the African Development Bank for investment in the Afram Plains, both in terms of agriculture and agro-processing,” he said.

The President, however, emphasised that the necessary infrastructure must first be put in place to attract investment. “But to be able to do that, we must first put in the infrastructure,” he said.

As part of this drive, President Mahama announced the inclusion of the Echi Amanfrom bridge under the Big Push initiative. “We have put the bridge at Echi Amanfrom under the Big Push to construct the bridge so that we can take the ferry away,” he stated.

He also disclosed that the main road networks in the Afram Plains area will be rehabilitated to facilitate easier movement and support local businesses. “We’ve targeted the main roads in the Afram Plains area to rehabilitate them so that it can ease doing business in the area,” President Mahama added.