The government is seeking to bridge the gap between agriculture and manufacturing by reviving cotton production in the Northern Region as part of efforts to provide locally produced raw materials for Ghana’s textile and garment industry.
Trade, Agribusiness and Industry Minister, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, said the development of a reliable domestic cotton supply could help reduce manufacturers’ dependence on imported inputs while creating jobs and expanding economic opportunities for farmers.
She made the remarks on Thursday, August 27, 2026, when she visited a more than 20-hectare cotton farm at Zoosale in the Savelugu Municipality.
The farm forms part of the Northern Cotton Revival Initiative, a pilot project involving Benti Energies, Recell Ghana Ltd. and SELOC, which seeks to establish a multi-district cotton production belt in the Northern Region.
The initiative is also intended to create a direct link between cotton farmers and local textile and garment manufacturers, establishing a value chain that moves from cultivation to industrial processing and ultimately finished clothing.
During the visit, the Minister inspected the cotton crop, which was at the flowering stage, and expressed government’s readiness to support efforts to expand production across the region.
She said expanding cotton cultivation would provide textile and garment manufacturers with a more dependable source of locally produced raw materials, potentially lowering production costs and reducing Ghana’s import bill.
Ms Ofosu-Adjare stressed that agricultural production must be deliberately connected to domestic manufacturing if Ghana is to derive greater economic value from its natural resources and agricultural activities.
She said a strong cotton value chain could generate employment, improve the incomes of farmers and enhance the competitiveness of Ghana’s textile and garment sector.
The initiative comes at a time when government is seeking to strengthen local manufacturing and create stronger linkages between agricultural producers and industries that depend on locally sourced raw materials.
Project Lead Consultant, Cephas Bedi, said the successful flowering of the cotton at Zoosale was an important milestone towards establishing a sustainable cotton-producing belt in the Northern Region.
He said the project had been designed from the outset to connect cotton production directly to industrial processing and textile manufacturing, creating a farm-to-factory system.
According to him, developing such a value chain would ensure that cotton produced by farmers does not remain solely an agricultural commodity but becomes an input for local industrial production.
The Traditional Chief of Zoosale, Naa Yahaya Yakubu, appealed to government to provide the necessary support to sustain and expand the initiative.
He said the project had the potential to create employment for young people in the area while contributing to the economic development of the community.
The Minister’s visit coincided with preparations for the commissioning of Northshore Apparel Ltd. by President John Dramani Mahama on Friday, August 28.
Mr Bedi said the proximity of the two events underscored the importance of developing sufficient domestic raw materials to support the expansion of Ghana’s apparel manufacturing capacity.
A symbolic ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the cotton farm to mark the connection between the agricultural initiative and the apparel factory, reinforcing the broader vision of linking cotton grown in the Northern Region to textile and garment production in Ghana.
The government’s renewed focus on cotton production is therefore expected to strengthen the connection between farmers and industry, while creating a domestic supply chain capable of supporting Ghana’s ambitions to expand local textile and apparel manufacturing.
