The ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) has approved a US$15 million financing facility for the construction of a tissue paper manufacturing plant in Ghana, reinforcing the country’s industrialisation agenda and efforts to reduce reliance on imported paper products.
The approval was granted during the 95th Session of EBID’s Board of Directors, held on March 30, 2026, as part of a wider package of US$266.7 million and CFA30 billion allocated to strategic projects across five ECOWAS member states.
The Ghana project involves the establishment of a 65-tonne-per-day tissue paper production facility, designed to manufacture jumbo tissue rolls locally for domestic and regional markets.
Once completed, the plant is expected to strengthen local manufacturing capacity, support value addition, and contribute to import substitution in the fast-moving consumer goods segment.
The new facility is aligned with Ghana’s broader industrial transformation and manufacturing-led growth strategy, particularly under initiatives aimed at expanding local production and strengthening supply chains.
By producing jumbo tissue rolls locally, the project is expected to reduce Ghana’s dependence on imported tissue paper products, lower production and logistics costs for downstream manufacturers, improve supply reliability for the domestic market and support job creation across the manufacturing value chain.
The investment also supports private-sector participation in industrial development, a key pillar of Ghana’s economic growth framework.
Speaking at the Board meeting, EBID President and Chairman of the Board, Dr. George Agyekum Donkor, emphasised the development impact of the approved investments across the region.
“These interventions reflect our ambition to support Member States in structuring value-creating projects that are fully aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals. By investing in infrastructure, agro-industry, environmental management, and industrial transformation, we are strengthening the foundations of a more resilient, inclusive, and integrated growth trajectory within West Africa,” he said.
While Ghana’s tissue manufacturing project highlights EBID’s support for industrialisation, the broader approval package includes infrastructure, agribusiness, SME financing, and environmental management initiatives in Nigeria, Senegal, The Gambia, and Côte d’Ivoire.
Part of a broader regional development package
Beyond Ghana, EBID’s approvals include investments in waste management and transport infrastructure in Nigeria, agribusiness expansion in The Gambia, and credit lines to development-oriented banks in Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire to support SMEs and job creation.
Together, the projects underscore EBID’s role as a regional development finance institution committed to enhancing competitiveness, promoting industrial growth, and advancing inclusive economic development across the ECOWAS bloc.
The ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) is the development finance institution of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Headquartered in Lomé, Togo, EBID finances development projects across infrastructure, rural development, industry, environment, and social services through its public and private sector windows.
By: Christian Akorlie / businesspostonline
