By Laudia Anyorkor Nunoo, GNA
Tema, Nov. 10, GNA – Government must make job creation and industrialisation central priorities in the 2027 budget by directing more resources towards productive sectors of the economy, Reverend Dr Samuel Worlanyo Mensah, an economist and lecturer, has said.Â
Rev Dr Mensah said although the 2025 and 2026 budgets outlined plans to transform the economy from consumption to production, the resources required to drive industrialisation and create sustainable employment was yet to translate into the expected outcomes.
He stated that the allocation of substantial public resources to programmes such as the government’s Big Push infrastructure initiative and the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme had left limited fiscal space for the kind of large-scale industrial investment needed to expand employment opportunities.
He said job creation should not be left to the government alone but driven by the private sector, supported by policies and an enabling business environment that encouraged investment and enterprise development.
Rev Dr Mensah therefore urged the government to prioritise agribusiness and agro-processing as key avenues for expanding economic opportunities, increasing productivity and reducing unemployment.
He said investment in crop cultivation, animal husbandry and agricultural production, alongside the processing of primary agricultural products, would stimulate industrial expansion, promote value addition and create employment across the agricultural value chain.
He said the National Farmers’ Day celebration could also serve as a platform to promote agricultural diversification, encourage investment in farming and strengthen the participation of local and international entrepreneurs in the sector.
On industrial diversification, he called for deliberate investment in the pharmaceutical and petrochemical industries, saying Ghana had the potential to develop local manufacturing capacity and supply products to both domestic and regional markets.
He proposed the development of a pharmaceutical industry supported by local agricultural production and research, including consideration of regulated industrial and pharmaceutical uses of cannabis, subject to the necessary legal and regulatory frameworks.
He also urged the government to support local technology development and the manufacture of basic equipment, tools and machinery to reduce dependence on imported products.
Rev Dr Mensah cited local technology initiatives, including the work of Apostle Kwadwo Safo Kantanka and other organisations, as examples of efforts that could inform the development of indigenous manufacturing capacity.
He further called for investment in the petrochemical industry to enable Ghana to manufacture basic products, including brake fluid, which could serve domestic demand and markets in neighbouring countries.
The economist also identified cotton production, rice cultivation and expansion of the manufacturing sector as areas that could help reduce dependence on imported goods and strengthen Ghana’s capacity to meet domestic and regional demand.
On the digital economy, he urged the government to invest in technological infrastructure, reliable internet connectivity and appropriate legislation to support the growing use of digital platforms for business transactions and service delivery.
He said effective monitoring, evaluation and regulatory systems would be necessary to ensure that digital economic activities contributed to national development and generated revenue for the state.
Rev Dr Mensah called for the expansion of the tax net and improved revenue mobilisation to provide additional resources for investment in productive sectors.
He said the 2027 budget should move beyond policy declarations and demonstrate a firm commitment to industrial development through adequate resource allocation, implementation and monitoring.
He said prioritising employment creation would not only improve household incomes and economic opportunities but could also help address some of the social challenges associated with unemployment, including crime.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Odeng Adade
10 November 2026
Writer: Laudia Anyorkor Nunoo, GNA
Email: [email protected]