UK, Ghana launch growth pact as £215M investment drive targets jobs, infrastructure

Ghana and the United Kingdom have launched a new three-year Growth Partnership aimed at mobilising investment, creating jobs and supporting infrastructure development, with projects worth up to £215 million expected to underpin the initiative.

The agreement, signed during President John Dramani Mahama’s official visit to London, sets out a framework for cooperation between the two countries from 2026 to 2028, focusing on private-sector-led growth, trade expansion, industrial development and skills training.

The partnership comes as Ghana seeks to accelerate economic recovery, attract foreign investment and position itself as a regional hub for manufacturing, logistics and green growth following years of fiscal strain and debt restructuring.

Among the flagship projects announced under the initiative is a £101 million maritime infrastructure investment to develop the first commercial-scale ship repair and dry-docking facility in the Gulf of Guinea.

The Takoradi Floating Dock Project, known as ShipRite, is expected to create up to 430 direct jobs and strengthen the country’s ambitions of becoming a regional maritime services hub. The project is being developed in partnership with the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) and backed by a consortium of investors, including the UK-supported Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG).

The agreement also includes a £5 million Green Project Preparation Facility designed to help public and private sector developers transform climate-focused infrastructure proposals into bankable projects.

Hosted by Financial Sector Deepening Africa (FSD Africa) in partnership with the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF), the facility is expected to help unlock up to £180 million in infrastructure investments over the next three years.

In a move aimed at expanding Ghana’s green economy, UK-based forestry company Mere Plantations announced plans to establish an £85 million reforestation investment fund, which is expected to be listed on the London Stock Exchange’s Private Markets platform.

The fund, developed in collaboration with Ghana’s Forestry Commission, will finance reforestation and carbon-credit projects, restore degraded land and create employment opportunities in rural communities.

The partnership also places emphasis on technology and innovation, with the UK committing £6 million toward science and technology collaboration, including support for implementation of Ghana’s Artificial Intelligence Strategy.

Officials said the initiative would facilitate cooperation between universities, research institutions and technology stakeholders in both countries, while supporting skills development in emerging digital sectors.

Further agreements include a £9 million forest restoration programme in the Oti Region and a £4 million healthcare skills partnership that will provide specialist clinical engineering training to strengthen technical capacity in Ghana’s health sector.

The two countries will also promote greater collaboration between universities through new transnational education guidelines intended to expand access to higher education and professional training.

British High Commissioner to Ghana, Christian Rogg, said the partnership was designed to deliver practical economic benefits.

“This Growth Partnership is about real change people can see and feel. It means more skilled jobs, stronger ports and transport links, better access to finance, and new opportunities for young people and women across Ghana,” he said.

The agreement builds on commitments made during the Ghana Investment Summit in London and coincides with the fifth anniversary of the UK-Ghana Trade Partnership Agreement.

According to the UK government, bilateral trade between the two countries has risen to approximately £1.6 billion, representing growth of 12.5% since 2024.

The UK also remains an important development finance partner in Ghana through British International Investment (BII), whose investment portfolio in the country stands at about £140 million.

Officials from both countries said the Growth Partnership is intended to support long-term private investment, strengthen trade ties and advance infrastructure projects aligned with Ghana’s industrialisation agenda.

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