‘Silo mentality’ costing Western Region billions -Minister warns

The Western Regional Minister, Joseph Nelson, has highlighted the negative impact of a "silo mentality" among state institutions on the region's economic potential, warning that it could be costing the Western Region billions of cedis in investment and export opportunities. This lack of coordination and information sharing among agencies is creating bottlenecks in development efforts, limiting businesses' access to necessary support, and impeding the government's ability to attract and retain investments.

The Minister emphasized the need for a unified approach among state institutions involved in investment promotion, trade, business regulation, and regional development, citing the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) and the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) as examples where the information gap hinders effective support for businesses.

He called for a deliberate mechanism to ensure that the RCC is kept abreast of investments and businesses operating within the region, stressing that closer collaboration is crucial as Ghana aims to reduce its dependence on imports, increase exports, and promote local production. Additionally, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), Francis Kojo Kwarteng Arthur, reported a significant surge in non-traditional exports from US$3.8 billion in 2024 to over US$5 billion in 2025, attributing this growth to the promotion of Ghanaian products and expressing optimism about achieving further growth through targeted support for local producers and exporters.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Chronicle Ghana's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.