Produce cut flowers in Ghana

Investors have the opportunity to invest in the production of flowers in Ghana. The country’s floriculture industry is at an infant stage of development relative to Africa’s major flower producers.

Investment Opportunities

Ghana’s climate, topography, and other natural characteristics make it a conducive location for the cultivation of many exotic breeds of flowers.

Specifically, species such as heliconia, caribea, celocia, curcuma, gladioli and hibiscus have all performed well in Ghana under natural conditions, and there is potential for the expansion of areas under cultivation for these and other cultivars which have yet to be introduced.

Most of Ghana’s current producers possess basic resources – including large tracts of prime uncultivated land, basic technical know-how and an experienced labour force – which can be expanded with capital infusion and technology transfer. The expected growth in the floricultural sector will create and sustain demand for cold storage and freight handling facilities, greenhouse construction, irrigation equipment and construction of small dams.

Advantages

Ghana possesses a number of comparative advantages that makes it a favourable choice within the Sub-Saharan region for investors in the sector:

Land: Ghana boasts of a wide expanse of agricultural land available in the Nsawam area where most of the country’s floricultural production is located. The area is littered with many small water bodies that can be used for irrigation.

Human resources: With over 60% of the workforce employed in the agricultural sector, there is a large human resource base of both skilled and unskilled labour which can be sourced for new floriculture operations.

Inputs: The bulk of seeds and fertilisers used in the cultivation of flowers are currently imported from suppliers in Southern Africa and the US. Positive developments in Ghana’s aluminium and plastics industries suggest the possibility of local production of these items at a fraction of the import cost under proper technical guidance.

Packaging: A number of local companies engaged in the packaging industry currently produce quality corrugated boxes and sanitary products for a variety of businesses. The healthy competition within the industry has resulted in competitive pricing for packaging material in recent years.

Irrigation: The main types of irrigation systems used – drip and sprinkler types – are imported from Europe. Rising demand by high-value horticultural growers has led to increased local production of these systems.

Transportation: There are a number of cargo airlines providing freight services to non-traditional exporters. Ghana also has a comparative advantage in its proximity to the main EU markets, with flights to Amsterdam averaging only six hours compared to over 11 hours from other flower exporting countries.

Research: Ghana possesses well-established research institutions that support agricultural projects with various services ranging from soil tests, crop trials, pest and disease control, and organised training for farmers. These provide a range of services at competitive rates. In addition, the country’s leading universities provide similar services at competitive rates.

Financing: Ghana’s finance sector is one of the most developed in Africa. With numerous banks, insurance and brokerage firms and a stock exchange that allows companies to raise long term capital at low cost, the country’s finance sector is more poised than ever to support the nation’s economic development in coming years. The range of services available includes working capital finance, project finance, and letters of credit.


Contact Details

Investors interested in any of the above opportunities should contact the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre at:

Ghana Investment Promotion Centre
Post: P. O. Box M193, Accra, Ghana
Tel: +233 21 665 125-9/664276
Fax: +233 21 663 801/663655
Email: [email protected]
www.gipcghana.com