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The 2025 Central Region Trade and Investment Fair (Central Expo) has officially opened in Cape Coast, with a call for stakeholders and investors to leverage the region’s abundant resources to drive sustainable growth and development.
The six-day event, which ends today, August 30, at the Adisadel School Park, is being held on the theme: “Unlocking Business Opportunities in the Central Region”.
More than 300 exhibitors are showcasing a variety of products, including artefacts, clothing, farm produce, agriproducts, pharmaceuticals, and financial services.
Opening the fair, Statesman and African University College of Communications (AUCC) Founder, Kojo Yankah, called for a reset of the region’s development priorities to fully harness its socio-economic potential.
Odeefuo Amoakwa Buadu (2nd from left), President of the Central Regional House of Chiefs, at one of the exhibition booths
He noted that the region was endowed with fertile land, natural resources such as salt, gold, lithium, clay, as well as strong human resource capacity.
However, he said these assets were not being maximised to benefit the local population.
“This region has no reason to complain about being poor.
There is no reason to be.
The region has enormous potential, which has to be harnessed for the well-being of its people.
The resources are here; we must learn to use them,” he said.
Highlighting economic opportunities, Mr Yankah pointed to coconuts as an underutilised resource, emphasising the need for local processing to add value, create jobs, and retain wealth within the region.
He urged the youth to shift their mindset from seeking jobs outside the region and instead explore opportunities locally.
“If we start industries here in the districts and include all stakeholders, we will create the jobs we are looking for. Development must begin from within,” he emphasised.
Reflecting on the region’s history, Mr. Yankah noted that earlier development initiatives had positioned the Central Region for progress, but a lack of continuity had hindered growth.
He emphasised that maintaining such initiatives could have propelled the region much further by now.
Extending the conversation to the national level, he said Ghana must move away from exporting raw materials and instead focus on value addition to boost foreign exchange earnings.
He called for the inclusion of industrialisation in school curricula to equip students with practical skills for national development.The Director of Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Agribusiness Development, Cynthia Dzokoto, speaking on behalf of the sector minister, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, said the government was prioritising support for locally made products and services to make the economy more resilient and job-driven.
She encouraged local producers to leverage digital tools to expand market reach and strengthen the economy.
The Central Regional Minister, Ekow Panyin Edumoah Okyere, gave an assurance that the region’s economic potential would be deliberately harnessed under the government’s 24-hour economy agenda to create jobs and expand opportunities.
The President of the Central Regional House of Chiefs, Odefuo Amoakwa Buadu, who chaired the ceremony, pledged the commitment of traditional leaders to the socio-economic advancement of the region.
He said the house was working to provide land banks to facilitate investment, while cooperating with stakeholders to ensure safety and security were enhanced in the region.
He also appealed to the government to provide critical infrastructure, such as roads, to attract and retain investors.
The Central Expo 2025 organisers say it is not only a platform for showcasing products and services but also a catalyst for repositioning the Central Region’s development agenda in line with national growth strategies.
The Omanhen of Oguaa, Osabarimba Kwesi Atta II, called for a renewed mindset on time management if the region was to attract serious investors, saying that without the right time management, efforts towards growth and development would be futile.
