Sustainable Export Processing Zones Development in Ghana: An Ecosystem and Benchmarking Report

The report evaluates Ghana's export processing zones (EPZs) across economic, environmental, social, and technological dimensions, finding that the current model lacks integration with broader industrial policies and neglects sustainability standards. Key gaps include a lack of low-carbon incentives, minimal technology adoption, and inadequate corruption controls. The author recommends the development of a comprehensive strategic policy by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the use of public-private partnerships for sustainable infrastructure, and the implementation of carbon finance policies to help Ghana meet climate targets.

• Ghana's EPZ program lacks integration with the government's broader development agenda and industrial policies, and the current reporting and compliance regime is insufficient to prevent revenue leakages and abuse of the free zones scheme.
• While Ghana currently avoids major environmental problems in EPZs due to the small number of firms, there is a lack of integrated sustainable infrastructure, low-carbon policy incentives, and carbon finance, with renewable energy not yet adopted on a large scale.
• Social sustainability is hindered by the absence of policies to control corruption and a lack of corporate social responsibility projects by firms in the Tema enclave, leading to tension with local government authorities.
• Technological adoption within the zones is minimal and driven by market conditions, with high costs and inadequate labor skills acting as primary barriers to advancement, particularly regarding environmental sustainability.

APA

Moors, R. (2022). Sustainable Export Processing Zones Development in Ghana: An Ecosystem and Benchmarking Report. African Center for Economic Transformation. https://acetforafrica.org/research-and-analysis/reports-studies/reports/sustainable-export-processing-zones-development-in-ghana-an-ecosystem-and-benchmarking-report/

Chicago

Moors, Rik. Sustainable Export Processing Zones Development in Ghana: An Ecosystem and Benchmarking Report. African Center for Economic Transformation, 2022. https://acetforafrica.org/research-and-analysis/reports-studies/reports/sustainable-export-processing-zones-development-in-ghana-an-ecosystem-and-benchmarking-report/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Moors |first1=Rik |title=Sustainable Export Processing Zones Development in Ghana: An Ecosystem and Benchmarking Report |publisher=African Center for Economic Transformation |date=11 November 2022 |url=https://acetforafrica.org/research-and-analysis/reports-studies/reports/sustainable-export-processing-zones-development-in-ghana-an-ecosystem-and-benchmarking-report/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{moors2022sustainable, author = {Moors, Rik}, title = {{Sustainable Export Processing Zones Development in Ghana: An Ecosystem and Benchmarking Report}}, institution = {African Center for Economic Transformation}, year = {2022}, month = nov, url = {https://acetforafrica.org/research-and-analysis/reports-studies/reports/sustainable-export-processing-zones-development-in-ghana-an-ecosystem-and-benchmarking-report/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }