Ghana and AfDB to Develop Volta Economic Corridor to Boost Exports and Trade

The Government of Ghana and the African Development Bank (AfDB) have officially partnered to develop the Volta Economic Corridor—a game-changing project under Ghana’s 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme (24H+).

Signed on July 3, 2025, the agreement reimagines Lake Volta as a strategic industrial and logistics hub. The corridor is set to unlock Ghana’s inland trade potential, stimulate cross-border commerce with Sahelian nations like Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, and enhance regional integration through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The corridor will be developed in collaboration with the 24H+ Secretariat, Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF), and the AfDB, which will assist in mobilizing funding from development and private sector partners.

Job Creation, Trade Expansion, and Investment Attraction

At the signing ceremony, Presidential Advisor Augustus Goosie Tanoh emphasized the corridor’s potential to attract transformative capital, create jobs, and increase Ghana’s export competitiveness.

The initiative will be private-sector led, with government seed capital catalyzing investment into critical areas such as:

• Inland water transport & port infrastructure

• Agro-ecological parks and irrigation systems

• Lakeside industrial and logistics zones

GIIF will oversee the establishment of three Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) to deliver these components. Its CEO, Nana Dwemoh Benneh, expressed confidence in bridging public policy and private capital for national benefit.

AfDB’s Mike Salawou, Director for Infrastructure and Urban Development, highlighted the corridor’s alignment with AfDB’s development goals—notably industrialisation, food security, and regional integration under Agenda 2063.

Transforming Ghana Into a Regional Trade Powerhouse

Once operational, the Volta Economic Corridor is expected to:

• Modernize Ghana’s inland logistics network

• Enhance agro-industrial output

• Strengthen linkages to regional export markets

• Model sustainable, infrastructure-led development across Africa

As a flagship project under the 24H+ vision, the corridor exemplifies Ghana’s drive to build bankable, high-impact ventures that turn policy into lasting economic opportunity.