President John Dramani Mahama has announced sweeping measures to combat smuggling and trade-related infractions, describing such activities as “economic sabotage” that undermine Ghana’s industrial growth.
Speaking at the maiden Presidential Dialogue in Accra, the President stated that under-declaration of goods, counterfeit imports, and the re-bagging of inferior products were not minor offences but serious threats to local manufacturing.
“To stem this tide and protect our fledgling manufacturing sector, we will intensify coordinated border enforcement, treat trade infractions as economic crimes, dismiss and prosecute public officers found culpable, deploy technology-driven customs surveillance solutions, and rigorously enforce product standards,” he declared.
Beyond enforcement, President Mahama outlined a broad package of structural reforms across key industries. He emphasized that industrial transformation depends on secure land tenure and the protection of agricultural resources. As part of this agenda, government will accelerate the establishment of litigation-free industrial land banks, reform land tenure systems to support commercial contract farming, expand irrigation infrastructure, and strengthen action against illegal mining and sand winning.
Sector-specific interventions were also detailed. In textiles and garments, government will clamp down on counterfeit fabrics, grant tax exemptions on machinery and inputs, and enforce mandatory local procurement.
For pharmaceuticals, incentives will be introduced to support local Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) production, alongside stricter border enforcement against smuggled drugs and support for compliance with World Health Organization Good Manufacturing Practices standards.
In the cement sector, enforcement of Legislative Instrument 2491 will be strengthened, local clinker production promoted, and port discharge bottlenecks addressed while cracking down on re-bagging of substandard cement.
The iron and steel industry will see tighter border controls on smuggled steel, VAT compliance enforcement in scrap supply chains, tax exemptions on machinery, and a ban on ferrous and non-ferrous scrap exports.
Meanwhile, the food and beverages sector will benefit from stronger port enforcement, cold chain expansion, and support for local raw material substitution. In the automotive industry, government will enforce age and quality standards, introduce fiscal incentives for localization, and expand access to vehicle financing schemes to position Ghana competitively under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
President Mahama stressed that these reforms are aimed at shielding Ghanaian enterprises from unfair competition and building a resilient industrial base capable of driving sustainable economic transformation.
