• Ghana announces $129M sugar factory with Philippine, local partners

• Planned plant to process 10,000 tons of sugarcane daily

• Part of broader push to reduce sugar imports, boost local industry

A new $129 million sugar factory is planned for construction in Ghana, a joint venture between the government, the Philippine company Nu Agri Asia Corporation, and local partner Ghanol Ltd. The announcement was made on August 31 by Martins Abhulimhen, one of the project's promoters.

According to Abhulimhen, the plant will have a processing capacity of 10,000 tons of sugarcane per day. Details regarding the exact location and construction timeline have not yet been released.

The investment is expected to strengthen Ghana’s domestic sugar industry, which is still in its early stages but attracting a growing number of major industrial projects. Earlier this year, Nigerian company Dangote Sugar announced it had received government approval to build a sugar mill in Kwame-Danso, Sene West district, with a grinding capacity of 12,000 tons of sugarcane per day.

In a separate move, the struggling Komenda Sugar Factory, which has a daily grinding capacity of 1,250 tons, was handed over in 2024 to the Indian group West Africa Agro Ltd under a 15- to 20-year lease agreement to improve its management. In 2023, the Chinese company Bui Sugar Ltd began building a sugar mill in the Bono region, aiming for an annual production of 60,000 tons of sugar. These investments point to a gradual evolution of Ghana’s sugar sector.

Ghana remains heavily dependent on imports. According to data compiled by the Ghana Statistical Service, the country imported nearly 2.3 billion cedis ($162.4 million) worth of sugar in various forms in 2024 to meet its consumer demand.

Stéphanas Assocle