Association of Ghana Industries CEO Seth Twum-Akwaboah wants foreign-owned malls required by policy to stock a fixed share of locally manufactured products.

Published 10 Nov 2026, 15:53 GMT

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AGI Chief Executive Seth Twum-Akwaboah — Seth Twum-Akwaboah, AGI Chief Executive

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The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) is demanding a national trade policy requiring foreign-owned shopping malls in Ghana to reserve a fixed percentage of their shelf space for locally manufactured goods.

AGI Chief Executive Officer Seth Twum-Akwaboah made the call on Monday, November 9, speaking to the Ghana News Agency in Sunyani.

Women traders in the Sunyani Central Business District had complained that Chinese-owned shopping malls were squeezing small-scale retailers by offering lower prices.

Last week, Ghana Union of Traders' Associations (GUTA) President Clement Boateng estimated that newly opened Chinese-owned shopping malls now take about 60 per cent of Ghana's retail market and urged the authorities to investigate their operations and profit repatriation.

While petty trading in markets is reserved for Ghanaians, large shopping malls and supermarkets may take foreign investment when operators meet statutory capital requirements.

Twum-Akwaboah said the AGI was not opposed to foreign investors building modern retail infrastructure that fosters competition, but insisted that policy rules must govern what those outlets stock.

"If it's only foreign or Chinese wares that they are selling then that is really unacceptable and a policy must ensure that they sell a certain percentage of local products," the Association of Ghana Industries chief executive said.

He said a mandatory local-content shelf quota for foreign malls would create a stronger market for domestic manufacturers, curb imports and expand jobs for Ghanaians.

With Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson due in Parliament on Thursday, November 12 to deliver his 2027 Budget Statement and Economic Policy, Twum-Akwaboah urged the government to spell out protections for local industries against unfair trading practices.

He also called for deeper budgetary support and medium-term development financing to help factories expand production, cut unit costs and grow their market share under the government's 24-hour economy initiative and the "Big Push" road infrastructure programme.

Twum-Akwaboah also pointed to industrial electricity costs, saying cumulative tariff rises had exceeded 40 per cent for many large-scale manufacturers.

Araba IncoomAraba Incoom writes on multiple topics with a vast knowledge across different sector. You can almost call me an AI, after all, my initials are Araba Incoom.

AGI calls for mandatory local-goods quota in foreign-owned shopping malls

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