Accra, Sept. 7, GNA – Ghana is to become the first operational node of a continental manufacturing network designed to cut industrial downtime caused by delays in sourcing critical replacement parts.
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.
Dr Tesa D. Ayernor, SELL Managing Director, said the arrangement would help address supply-chain constraints and create opportunities to develop advanced manufacturing capabilities in Ghana.
“When a critical part fails in Ghana today, industry can wait months for a replacement to arrive from another continent, and that wait is one of the largest undiscussed costs in our economy.
“What we are announcing is not simply a faster supply chain. As the first node of the ADAM Network, Ghana has the opportunity to model what is possible for every node that follows on the continent, and to build genuine manufacturing capability,” he said.
The network will connect Ghanaian and other West African industries to Arridex’s Omnifactory facility in Lagos, Nigeria.
This will enable selected industrial components to be manufactured on demand using advanced additive manufacturing technologies, commonly known as industrial 3D printing.
The model is targeted at sectors including mining, oil and gas, power, manufacturing, maritime, defence and the public sector, where delays in obtaining specialised components can affect equipment availability and production.
Under the arrangement, obsolete or unavailable components can be digitally scanned, reverse engineered and manufactured to specification, while spare-parts inventories can also be digitised to enable components to be produced when required.
The companies said the approach could reduce dependence on long overseas supply chains and the need for industries to hold large inventories of specialised replacement parts.
Mr Kayode Adeleke, Arridex Group Chief Executive Officer, said the Ghana expansion formed part of a wider strategy to strengthen industrial resilience across Africa.
“Across Africa, industry does not stop for want of ambition or for want of talent; many times, it stops for want of a critical part in a piece of legacy equipment.
“By expanding our footprint into Ghana, we are establishing the core building blocks of a seamlessly connected, tech-driven manufacturing network that empowers local industries to produce high-value components on demand and build operational resilience,” he said.
The network is expected to operate through locally owned national partners linked to shared manufacturing infrastructure and a common digital platform.
Arridex is targeting 25 ADAM Network nodes in 15 African countries over the next five years, with the Lagos Omnifactory serving as the network’s anchor.
Recent reports on the agreement also identify a planned expansion to a Mega Omnifactory in 2027.
Dr Ayernor said the Ghana operation would include collaboration with universities, research institutions and training organisations to develop skills 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. If all we do is sell parts, we will have built a business. If we also build the skills, we will have built an industry,” he said.
The initiative also has implications for intra-African trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), by enabling the production and movement of industrial components, engineering services and digital manufacturing assets between African markets.
Dr Ayernor said the development would provide an industrial dimension to the continent’s trade integration efforts.
“AfCFTA has been discussed for years largely in terms of tariff schedules and protocols, and that work is essential. But a free trade area needs something to trade.
“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 initial activities focusing on industry engagement, pilot projects, digitisation of legacy spare-parts inventories, technical training and institutional partnerships.
The development comes as African industries seek to reduce exposure to external supply-chain disruptions and strengthen local capacity to maintain imported and ageing industrial equipment.
Edited by Kenneth Sackey