Ghana is positioning itself to reduce costly industrial downtime by producing critical replacement parts on demand, as the country becomes the first operational node of a planned Africa-wide advanced manufacturing network.
Sodah Engineering and Logistics Limited (SELL), a Ghanaian engineering and logistics company, has been appointed the exclusive Ghanaian partner and operator of the Africa Distributed Additive Manufacturing (ADAM) Network by technology firm Arridex Limited.
The initiative is expected to provide industries with faster access to specialised components that are often difficult or expensive to source from overseas, particularly for ageing or imported equipment.
SELL Managing Director, Dr Tesa D. Ayernor, said delays in obtaining critical replacement parts remain an underestimated cost to businesses, with some companies forced to wait months for components shipped from outside Africa.
He said the ADAM Network would allow selected industrial components to be digitally scanned, reverse engineered and manufactured to specification using advanced additive manufacturing technologies, commonly known as industrial 3D printing.
Under the model, industries can also digitise their spare-parts inventories, allowing components to be reproduced when needed rather than maintaining large stocks of specialised parts.
The system will initially connect Ghanaian and other West African industries to Arridex’s Omnifactory in Lagos, Nigeria, creating access to shared advanced manufacturing infrastructure while building local technical capacity.
The initiative is expected to serve sectors including mining, oil and gas, power, manufacturing, maritime, defence and the public sector, where equipment failures and prolonged waits for replacement parts can disrupt production and service delivery.
Dr Ayernor said the Ghana operation would go beyond supplying replacement components, with plans to work with universities, research institutions and training organisations to develop expertise in digital design, component scanning, materials selection and advanced manufacturing engineering.
“An additive manufacturing capability is not a machine you buy. It is a skill set a country either has or does not have,” he said, stressing that building local skills would be essential to turning the initiative into a sustainable industrial ecosystem.
Arridex Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr Kayode Adeleke, said the expansion into Ghana formed part of the company’s broader strategy to strengthen industrial resilience across Africa.
He said African industries often have the technical capability and ambition to operate efficiently but are held back when a critical component in legacy equipment becomes unavailable.
Arridex plans to establish 25 ADAM Network nodes across 15 African countries within the next five years, with the Lagos Omnifactory serving as the network’s anchor. Recent reports on the agreement have also identified plans for a Mega Omnifactory expansion in 2027.
The initiative could also strengthen intra-African trade by enabling industrial components, engineering services and digital manufacturing capabilities to move between African markets under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Dr Ayernor said the development would provide a practical industrial dimension to AfCFTA by increasing the volume of high-value goods that can be designed and manufactured within Africa.
“What we are building is the industrial substance behind the framework: African-made components, moving between African countries, made by African companies,” he said.
Work on the Ghana node is expected to begin immediately, with industry engagement, pilot projects, digitisation of legacy spare-parts inventories, technical training and institutional partnerships forming the initial phase.
The companies expect the model to help African industries reduce their dependence on lengthy overseas supply chains while improving their ability to maintain imported and ageing industrial equipment.
For Ghana, the initiative also offers an opportunity to move beyond simply importing replacement parts towards developing the expertise and infrastructure required to manufacture high-value industrial components locally.
