Ghana has secured a $30 million grant from China to finance the construction of a modern market in Aflao, fulfilling a key campaign promise made by President John Mahama in the lead up to the 2024 elections.
The agreement was formally signed on Monday July 7, 2025, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Accra.
"A similar grant amount from China was used to construct the impressive Kotokuraba market in Cape Coast during the Mills/Mahama era. I signed on behalf of the Government of Ghana and the Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, His Excellency Tong Defa signed for the Chinese Government," he stated.
In a post shared on his X page on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, as sighted by GhanaWeb Business, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said the new market will serve as a major economic hub for the Volta region as a means to strengthen trade links between Ghana's Ho market and Lome.
According to Ablakwa the facility is expected to enhance livelihoods and support commerce in Aflao, a key border town and trade gateway in West Africa.
"The new befitting modern Aflao market is expected to boost economic activity, link the Ho and Lome markets and improve livelihoods in an enclave which is a major West African trading hub.," he tweeted.
This latest infrastructure investment mirrors a similar development under the Mills-Mahama administration, when a Chinese grant of equal value funded the construction of the Kotokuraba Market in Cape Coast, now considered one of the country’s most modern market complexes.
The Aflao market project reflects the government’s ongoing efforts to modernise commercial infrastructure, deepen regional trade, and deliver on development pledges.
Ghana secures $30million grant from China.
— Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa (@S_OkudzetoAblak) July 9, 2025
On the express instructions of President John Mahama, the funds will be used to construct a modern market in Aflao consistent with his promise during the 2024 electioneering campaign.
A similar grant amount from China was used to… pic.twitter.com/zIuNMuB6l0
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