Government is stepping up efforts to revive large-scale cotton production in the Northern Region to provide local raw materials for Ghana’s textile and garment industry.

Trade, Agribusiness and Industry Minister Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare made the commitment on Thursday, August 27, 2026, during a working visit to a more than 20-hectare cotton farm at Zoosale in the Savelugu Municipality.

The farm is part of the Northern Cotton Revival Initiative, a pilot project involving Benti Energies, Recell Ghana Ltd. and SELOC. The initiative aims to establish a multi-district cotton production belt and strengthen the link between farmers and local textile and garment manufacturers.

The Minister, who toured the farm with Savelugu MCE Alhassan Fuseini, observed the cotton crops at the flowering stage and expressed support for expanding production in the region.

She said increased local cotton production would provide a reliable source of raw materials for textile and garment manufacturers, reduce production costs and help lower Ghana’s import bill.

She also stressed the need to connect agriculture to local manufacturing by ensuring that raw materials produced in Ghana are supplied to domestic industries.

According to her, a strong cotton value chain could create jobs, improve farmers’ livelihoods and strengthen the competitiveness of Ghana’s textile and garment sector.

The Traditional Chief of Zoosale, Naa Yahaya Yakubu, called for government support to sustain and expand the initiative, saying it could create employment for young people and support economic development in the area.

Project Lead Consultant Cephas Bedi said the successful flowering of the cotton represented an important step towards developing a sustainable cotton belt across the Northern Region.

He said the initiative was designed to link cotton production directly to industrial processing and textile manufacturing, creating a farm-to-factory value chain.

The visit came a day before President John Dramani Mahama’s scheduled commissioning of Northshore Apparel Ltd. on Friday, August 28.

Mr Bedi said the timing highlighted the need for adequate local raw materials to support the growth of Ghana’s apparel manufacturing industry.

A symbolic ribbon-cutting ceremony was also held at the cotton farm, linking the crop production initiative to the commissioning of the apparel factory and the broader plan to connect cotton grown in the Northern Region to textile and garment production in Ghana.

A useful next step would be to sharpen the headline around the farm-to-factory angle, which is the strongest news hook in the statement.