The Upper East Regional Minister, Akamugri Donatus Atanga, has turned to China in a fresh push to attract investors and strategic partners for the region’s GH¢8.6 billion PEARL development agenda.
Mr Atanga, who led an investment mission to China from September 13 to 20, 2026, is seeking Chinese capital, technology and expertise to support projects under the “Prosperity through Enterprise, Agriculture, Resilience and Livelihoods (PEARL) Framework.”
The 10-year PEARL Framework, covering 2026 to 2035, was launched in June as the Upper East Region’s investment and development blueprint, with an estimated GH¢8.6 billion financing requirement. It is designed to drive enterprise development, agriculture, industrialisation, infrastructure, trade and job creation across the region’s 15 municipalities and districts.
During his China mission, the Minister engaged Chinese companies and government representatives on investment opportunities in modern agriculture, agro-processing, irrigation, renewable energy, poultry production and processing, water management, technology transfer and industrial park development.
A key objective is to develop an integrated agro-industrial and irrigation corridor capable of linking production to processing and markets, while positioning the Upper East as a competitive investment destination and gateway to Burkina Faso and the wider Sahel.
Mr Atanga also met Ghana’s Ambassador to China, Kojo Bonsu, and appealed for the Embassy’s support in connecting the region with credible Chinese investors.
He outlined the region’s investment opportunities and briefed the Ambassador on the engagements held during the mission, stressing the need for strategic partnerships capable of bringing capital, technology and technical expertise into the region.
The Minister said the Embassy’s support would be critical in facilitating contacts with credible investors and creating platforms for the Upper East to present its investment-ready opportunities to potential Chinese partners.
The China mission represents a move from promoting PEARL as a regional development blueprint to actively pursuing the capital and partnerships needed to implement it.
Among the flagship opportunities identified under PEARL are the completion of the Tamne Irrigation Dam, rehabilitation of the Tono and Vea irrigation schemes, revitalisation of the Pwalugu Tomato Factory and Zuarungu Meat Processing Factory, and development of the Fumbisi Rice Valley into a commercial agricultural and agro-industrial hub.
The framework also identifies manufacturing, mining and mineral value addition, renewable energy, logistics, tourism, technology, cross-border trade and skills development as areas for investment.
The Regional Coordinating Council has positioned PEARL as a long-term strategy to diversify the Upper East economy and reduce dependence on raw commodity production by attracting investment into productive sectors.
The China mission is therefore part of the RCC’s broader effort to turn the PEARL investment pipeline into concrete partnerships, projects and jobs for the region.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
