Koforidua hosts first Eastern Expo as deputy minister urges region to turn potential into jobs

Pinned summary · as of 04:55

Koforidua welcomed the first Eastern Expo on Monday, 28 September, an event meant to present the Eastern Region to traders, tourism operators and investors. Deputy Trade Minister Sampson Ahi, standing in for his minister, told the gathering that the region must now turn its economic assets into real openings for residents.

What we know

• The inaugural Eastern Expo 2026 took place in Koforidua to market the Eastern Region to business and investors, and its theme centres on sustainable trade, tourism and investment.
• Mr Ahi, a deputy minister in the trade and industry ministry, attended as Special Guest of Honour on behalf of the sector minister, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare.
• Mr Ahi said the region should go beyond displaying its resources and convert them into tangible gains, and described the expo as a meeting point where firms and investors can spot openings and form partnerships.
• Investment records cited at the expo credit the Eastern Region with 44 wholly Ghanaian-owned projects worth more than US$1.9 billion, plus 164 foreign-backed projects, between 1994 and December 2025. The Herald Ghana attributed the numbers to Mr Ahi, while The Vaultz News traced them to the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

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  The Vaultz News reported that the regional coordinating council unveiled the expo in August as a programme lasting eight days, from 26 September to 3 October 2026. The Herald Ghana did not give a schedule, so it has not been confirmed elsewhere.
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  According to The Vaultz News, each of the region's 33 assemblies is due to present its trade and economic strengths, with the districts arranged in five clusters named Kwahu, Akyem, Krobo, Akuapem and New Juaben. No other report has confirmed this arrangement.
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  The Vaultz News also reported that a planned food and beverage industrial park at Kwahu was highlighted for its potential in food processing and job creation, and that a pilot Farmer Service Centre has been built in the Kwahu Afram Plains South District. Other reports have not confirmed this.
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  The Vaultz News said the expo coincides with World Tourism Day activities in the region, with tourism sessions on digitalisation and artificial intelligence. It also quoted Eastern Regional Minister Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey as calling the expo a launch pad for local economic development. Neither point appears in other reports.
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  The Herald Ghana reported that stakeholders at the expo urged prospective investors to consider the Eastern Region; no named speaker was given and other reports do not mention it.

Why it matters for Ghana

Investment in the Eastern Region affects jobs for young people in Koforidua and the surrounding districts, and the incomes of farmers and traders who supply local markets. The expo gives businesses a place to seek partners and gives investors a view of options in agribusiness, manufacturing and tourism. Whether the pledges made this week lead to actual projects and employment will be visible only in the months ahead.