President John Dramani Mahama has unveiled an ambitious plan to increase the manufacturing sector’s contribution to Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to at least 15 percent by 2030, alongside the creation of 500,000 quality industrial jobs.

He announced the target at the Presidential Dialogue with the Private Sector held at the Jubilee House on Monday, February 23.

Although he acknowledged recent signs of economic stabilisation, the President cautioned that stability alone does not amount to transformation. He emphasised that achieving sustainable, long-term growth will require bold structural reforms driven by a vibrant and competitive private sector.

According to him, meaningful economic progress cannot be achieved without strong collaboration between government and the private sector, which he described as the engine of growth, job creation and innovation.

President Mahama observed that for more than five decades, Ghana’s manufacturing sector has contributed around 10 percent to GDP — a level he believes is inadequate to support large-scale industrialisation and employment generation.

He contrasted Ghana’s performance with that of several emerging Asian economies which, starting from similar conditions, have raised manufacturing’s share of GDP to between 20 and 30 percent, driving mass employment and export competitiveness.

To alter Ghana’s trajectory, he said the country must pursue structural reforms rather than incremental changes. The 15 percent manufacturing benchmark, supported by the creation of 500,000 industrial jobs, forms part of a broader strategy to reposition the economy toward industrial growth, value addition and sustainable employment under a strengthened private sector-led development agenda.