PRESENTS “REQUIREMENTS” NEWSLETTER
With Akua Boadiwaa Boateng
TROM: The Requirement Newsletter Magazine:
Assumpta: AFRICAN STREAM
A Development-Focused Journal
EXCLUSIVE FEATURE : THE REQUIREMENT FOR REVIVAL
Can Ghana Reclaim Its Manufacturing Legacy?
🗓️ Friday, 20th June 2025
IN CONVERSATION:
AKUA BOADIWAA BOATENG
Entrepreneur • Lawyer • Food Scientist • Positive Mind Advocate on Ghana’s Industrial Future
💡 TIPS & TAKEAWAYS:
“If we don’t make things, we can’t make jobs.”
– A powerful truth driving the national conversation on manufacturing and youth employment.
✅ Legacy of Nkrumah
✅ One District, One Factory Reality Check
✅ Building a Future Beyond Imports
✅ Youth, Innovation, and Ownership
🌍 African-led. Purpose-driven. Progress-minded.
The Requirement Magazine – Where development meets action.
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🗞️The Requirement Magazine – June 2025 Issue
EDITORIAL INTRODUCTION
In this issue of The Requirement, we turn our lens toward one of the most pressing questions facing Ghana today:
Can we truly rebuild our economy without reclaiming our manufacturing legacy?
In a bold and timely conversation between Ghanaian broadcast journalist Berla Mundi and entrepreneur-lawyer-food scientist Miss Akua Boadiwaa Boateng, we revisit the industrial vision once championed by Kwame Nkrumah — a vision rooted in self-reliance, production, and jobs for Ghanaians.
Today, Ghana stands at a crossroads. With rising youth unemployment, heavy reliance on imports, and fragile infrastructure, our leaders continue to promise growth — often through fuel levies and taxation — but fail to address the core systems needed for a sustainable industrial economy.
Miss Boateng does not mince words. In this feature, she challenges the political class and the Ghanaian public to ask:
Are we building factories or just fantasies? Are we creating jobs or just collecting taxes?
This article lays out not just a critique, but a clear list of requirements — the practical, non-negotiable foundations of a modern manufacturing economy. From energy and transport to workforce and leadership, the message is simple:
If we don’t make things, we can’t make jobs.
We invite you to explore this conversation deeply — and to reflect on what you think Ghana truly needs.
📰 Editorial Insight: The Real Requirements for Ghana’s Industrial Revival
In her interview with The Requirement Newsletter, Mis-Akua Boadiwaa Boateng explored Ghana’s ongoing struggle to revive local manufacturing — drawing deeply from Kwame Nkrumah’s original vision of an industrial, self-reliant nation. She raised a piercing question:
“Is Ghana truly serious about creating jobs and rebuilding its economy — or are we mistaking shallow fixes, like a 1 cedi tax on every litre of petrol, for real development?”
The name “Requirement” is no accident. It symbolizes what is fundamentally needed for Ghana’s industrial and economic transformation — not slogans, not cosmetic policies, but deep, systemic change.
If President John Mahama (or any serious Ghanaian leader) is truly committed to rebuilding Ghana’s economy through manufacturing, then he must start by understanding the real requirements of industrialization.
✅ The Real Requirements for Ghana’s Manufacturing Future:
- 🚉 Build Up National Connectivity
- Expand road, rail, and logistics networks to move goods efficiently.
- ⚓ Develop Competitive Container Ports
- Reduce port congestion, improve customs efficiency, and become a true West African trade hub.
- 🚆 Invest in High-Speed Rail & Inland Water Transport
- Link cities, industrial zones, and farming regions for seamless supply chains.
- ⚡ End “Dumsor Politics” and Double Energy Capacity
- Reliable and abundant energy is non-negotiable for factories to run.
- Ghana must stop treating electricity like a campaign promise and start treating it as a national production backbone.
- 👷🏾♂️ Train a Skilled Workforce & Instill Industrial Discipline
- Vocational training, STEM investment, and a strong work ethic are vital.
- Ghanaians must build and work in Ghanaian-owned factories — creating products that can compete in local, African, and global markets.
❌ What Ghana Lacks Today:
- Inadequate infrastructure
- Weak manufacturing base
- Low energy generation
- Minimal industrial training
- Over-reliance on imports
- Short-term fiscal policies like fuel taxes to patch long-term problems
🧠 Final Reflection:
Can a 1 cedi tax on every litre of petrol fund the industrial revival Kwame Nkrumah envisioned?
No. That’s not a development strategy — it’s a revenue patch. Real development requires vision, infrastructure, energy, discipline, and serious leadership.
🇬🇭 The Real Requirements for Ghana’s Manufacturing Future – Explained
1. 🚉 Build Up National Connectivity
Expand road, rail, and logistics networks to move goods efficiently
A manufacturing economy relies on efficient movement — of raw materials to factories and finished goods to markets. Without strong national connectivity:
- Supply chains break down.
- Production becomes slow, costly, and unreliable.
- Farmers, artisans, and small manufacturers stay isolated, unable to scale up or reach broader markets.
Improved roads reduce transport time and spoilage, especially for agro-processing. Rail networks lower shipping costs for bulk goods. A well-connected Ghana means a stronger domestic market, thriving regional trade, and less pressure on urban centers, since development can spread across districts.
💡 Connectivity is not just convenience — it’s the circulation system of an industrial economy.
2. ⚓ Develop Competitive Container Ports
Reduce port congestion, improve customs efficiency, and become a true West African trade hub
Ghana’s strategic coastal location gives it a major advantage. But underperforming ports, bureaucratic delays, and high costs at Tema and Takoradi have pushed trade to neighboring countries like Togo.
Without modern, fast, and efficient ports:
- Ghana can’t compete as a regional manufacturing base.
- Exporters face costly delays, discouraging investment.
- Imports of machinery or raw materials become too expensive.
To attract manufacturers and investors, Ghana must match or beat global standards in port logistics. This will support both exports and inward investment into manufacturing.
⚠️ You can’t build a global business if you can’t ship efficiently.
3. 🚆 Invest in High-Speed Rail & Inland Water Transport
Link cities, industrial zones, and farming regions for seamless supply chains
Most of Ghana’s industrial zones are concentrated in a few regions, while rich agricultural areas remain disconnected. High-speed rail and navigable inland waterways (like the Volta) could:
- Connect farms to processing plants and markets.
- Link inland regions to coastal ports for export.
- Decongest roads and reduce logistics costs by as much as 30–40%.
Efficient, multi-modal transport means factories don’t need to be in Accra to be viable. It spreads opportunity, reduces rural poverty, and encourages balanced development.
🚢 A tomato farmer in Upper East should be able to reach a processor in Kumasi, and a global buyer in Rotterdam — seamlessly.
4. ⚡ End “Dumsor Politics” and Double Energy Capacity
Reliable and abundant energy is non-negotiable for factories to run
Energy is the lifeblood of industrialization. Machines can’t run on promises. Ghana’s persistent power shortages (popularly called “Dumsor”) have:
- Forced factories to shut down or relocate.
- Raised production costs through reliance on diesel generators.
- Killed investor confidence in long-term projects.
To become competitive, Ghana must at least double its energy generation capacity, diversify into renewables, and end political interference in energy management.
🔌 Power is productivity. No power = no production. It’s that simple.
5. 👷🏾♂️ Train a Skilled Workforce & Instill Industrial Discipline
Vocational training, STEM investment, and a strong work ethic are vital
Factories need more than machines — they need skilled people to run them. Ghana’s youth unemployment crisis can be turned into an industrial opportunity if:
- We invest in technical and vocational education (TVET).
- Emphasize STEM (science, tech, engineering, math) in schools.
- Promote a culture of excellence, punctuality, and discipline in the workplace.
Beyond skills, Ghana must build a factory-working mindset — where work is about creating value, not just earning income. This will make Ghanaian-made products globally competitive.
💪🏾 People build nations — not slogans. Ghana needs doers, makers, and master craftsmen.
🧭 The Big Picture:
These five pillars are non-negotiable for any serious effort to industrialize. You can’t tax your way into transformation with a fuel levy. You need to invest in what truly matters — infrastructure, energy, skills, and systems.
Manufacturing is not just an economic sector — it’s a symbol of national self-belief.
📰 ASSUMPTA WEEKLY MAGAZINE
PRESENTS:
THE REQUIREMENT NEWSLETTER
TROM: The Requirement Magazine – A Development-Focused Journal
EXCLUSIVE FEATURE
🏭 THE REQUIREMENT FOR REVIVAL
Can Ghana Reclaim Its Manufacturing Legacy?
🗓️ Friday, 20th June 2025
🎙️ IN CONVERSATION:
Berla Mundi — Award-winning Ghanaian Broadcast Journalist, Women’s Advocate, Media Leader
Miss Akua Boadiwaa Boateng — Entrepreneur • Lawyer • Food Scientist • Advocate for Positive Mindset & Industrial Growth
🎤 Dialogue Begins
Berla Mundi:
Good afternoon, and welcome to this special feature of The Requirement Newsletter — a space where development meets action. I’m your host, Berla Mundi, and today, we are diving deep into one of Ghana’s most urgent national conversations:
Can Ghana reclaim its manufacturing legacy and truly revive what Kwame Nkrumah began?
Joining me is a powerhouse — Miss Akua Boadiwaa Boateng — an entrepreneur, lawyer, food scientist, and one of the clearest voices on industrial transformation in Ghana. Akua, thank you so much for being here.
Miss Akua Boadiwaa Boateng:
Thank you, Berla. It’s a privilege to join The Requirement, especially on a topic that strikes at the core of Ghana’s identity and potential.
“Carrying On the Legacy”
Berla Mundi:
Let’s start here.
Kwame Nkrumah’s overthrow in 1966 marked a turning point for Ghanaians — not just politically, but in how we abandoned his Pan-African, production-based economic vision.
Miss Akua, do you think today’s leaders have truly made the decision to devote themselves — or their lives — to preserving Nkrumah’s work?
Akua Boadiwaa Boateng:
Berla, that’s a powerful question.
Let me be honest: No.
Most of our current leaders talk about Nkrumah in speeches, but their policies don’t reflect his spirit. Nkrumah believed in building things — from factories to ideas — that made Ghana self-reliant.
What we’ve done since is the opposite: we import everything — rice, tomatoes, even toothpicks — and then blame youth unemployment on external forces. If we truly respected his legacy, we’d be investing in long-term manufacturing, not just taxing fuel to fill budget gaps.
💬 One District, One Factory – Vision or Illusion?
Berla Mundi:
That leads me to the current industrial push — “One District, One Factory.” You’ve said publicly that this program, while well-intended, lacks the backbone to deliver real change. What are the real requirements?
Akua Boadiwaa Boateng:
Great question. Manufacturing isn’t magic — it’s infrastructure, energy, logistics, training, discipline. We must start with:
✅ The Real Requirements:
- 🚉 National Connectivity
If goods can’t move, production can’t scale. Ghana needs railways, roads, and real logistics hubs — not just in Accra, but across the country. - ⚓ Competitive Ports
Tema and Takoradi must become gateways to West Africa — not choke points. Without efficient ports, exporters suffer and imports become costly. - 🚆 Rail & Water Transport
We ignore our rivers. The Volta could move raw materials from the North to factories in the South. Why are we not using that? - ⚡ Energy Security
“Dumsor” kills industries. Factories need 24/7 reliable power. We must double our energy capacity, diversify sources, and take the politics out of power. - 👷🏾♂️ Skilled Workforce
Let’s train welders, machinists, and technicians — not just MBAs. You can’t industrialize with degrees alone. We need vocational pride and industrial discipline.
💡 “If We Don’t Make Things, We Can’t Make Jobs.”
Berla Mundi:
That brings us to a quote I’ve heard you say multiple times — and it’s even the headline for this feature:
“If we don’t make things, we can’t make jobs.”
Can you expand on that for our readers?
Akua Boadiwaa Boateng:
Absolutely.
We’re in a country where millions of youth are unemployed, yet we import $2 billion in goods we could make ourselves. Every time we buy imported ketchup, we’re exporting jobs. Every time we order furniture from Turkey, we’re undercutting local carpenters.
Making things — locally, consistently, and competitively — is what creates factories, training centers, innovations, and wealth. No country ever became rich from selling raw cocoa. You grow wealth by adding value.
🏗️ Can a 1 Cedi Petrol Tax Fund Industrial Revival?
Berla Mundi:
Some argue that Ghana needs money — so adding a 1 cedi tax on every litre of petrol helps fund development. What’s your take?
Akua Boadiwaa Boateng:
Berla, that’s not development — that’s desperation.
A 1 cedi tax doesn’t fix broken ports, build rail lines, or generate 2,000 megawatts of power. It’s a short-term fix for a long-term failure of vision.
What we need is bold national planning:
- Build an integrated transport system.
- Set up power plants.
- Train tens of thousands of youth in high-skill, hands-on jobs.
- And build factories owned by Ghanaians, not foreign brands shipping profits abroad.
🌍 Final Thoughts — A Call to Ghana’s Youth.
Berla Mundi:
Final words, Akua. What would you say to young Ghanaians reading this across the country?
Akua Boadiwaa Boateng:
Don’t wait for handouts. Push for the real requirements. Ask hard questions. Learn skills. Dream boldly, but build practically.
The future of Ghana is not just political — it’s industrial. And it belongs to those willing to work, lead, and create.
We can’t tax our way to greatness —
We must build it..
Berla Mundi:
Powerful words. Thank you, Miss Akua Boadiwaa Boateng, for your honesty, insight, and unwavering belief in Ghana’s potential.
And to our readers: this is your invitation to rise — not just with hope, but with action.
Stay with The Requirement Magazine — where development meets purpose.
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