Northshore was 60% complete before Akufo-Addo left office — Dr George Domfe accuses Mahama govt of ‘rewriting history’
Development economist questions attempts to associate the newly commissioned Savelugu apparel factory with the current administration, arguing that much of the project had already been executed before the change of government.
1h ago·3 min read
Development economist Dr George Domfe has waded into the political debate surrounding the newly commissioned Northshore Apparel factory in Savelugu, accusing the government of attempting to “rewrite history” over the origins of the major industrial project.
His comments follow the commissioning of the apparel manufacturing facility by President John Dramani Mahama, amid government efforts to position the factory as an example of the job creation and export-oriented industrialisation envisioned under the 24-Hour Economy programme.
In a social media post, Dr Domfe questioned whether sufficient acknowledgement was being given to the work undertaken on the project before former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo left office in January 2025.
“Did I hear correctly that the Northshore Apparel Factory was about 60% complete when Nana Akufo-Addo handed over power?” he asked.
“So why rewrite history to suggest it was President Mahama’s idea? This is the same script being used with the economy: repackage inherited achievements and sell them as new miracles. The propaganda is becoming an art form! Ɛyɛ asɛm ooo!”
Dr Domfe's claim that the factory was approximately 60% complete at the time of the change of government has not been independently established by DailyAccra. However, available information confirms that the project predates its August 2026 commissioning and benefited from financing and institutional support involving the Ghana Export-Import Bank and Germany's KfW Development Bank.
At the commissioning, President Mahama himself highlighted the role of Ghana EXIM Bank in financing the project and linked the institution's establishment to his first administration.
“Indeed, that is why we created the Ghana Exim Bank in 2016, during my last year in office, to finance projects like this,” the President said, according to the Presidency.
Mahama argued that the factory demonstrates the type of productive investment his administration wants Ghana EXIM Bank to support and described Northshore as a catalyst for restoring Northern Ghana's industrial base.
The facility itself is a private, wholly Ghanaian-owned enterprise rather than a factory conceived and owned directly by either the Mahama or Akufo-Addo administration. Its development has involved the project's promoters alongside state and international development-finance institutions.
Northshore's Chief Executive Officer, Alhaji Nurideen Mohammed, has publicly acknowledged Ghana EXIM Bank, KfW's Investing for Employment facility, the Ghana Free Zones Authority, traditional authorities and other partners for their roles in bringing the project to fruition.
Ghana EXIM Bank CEO Sylvester Adinam Mensah said at the commissioning that the bank partnered with Germany's KfW Development Bank's Investing for Employment facility and the project's promoters to finance and operationalise the factory.
The distinction is likely to become important as the project increasingly enters Ghana's political conversation, with both the NDC and NPP potentially pointing to decisions taken under their respective administrations.
For Dr Domfe, however, the Northshore debate reflects a broader disagreement over political credit for projects and economic outcomes that span different governments.
He accused the Mahama administration of adopting a similar approach in its presentation of recent improvements in the economy, arguing that achievements inherited from the previous government were being repackaged as entirely new successes.
The economist has previously defended aspects of the Akufo-Addo government's economic record, including arguing that external shocks such as COVID-19 and Russia's invasion of Ukraine played significant roles in Ghana's 2022 economic difficulties.
Northshore Apparel, meanwhile, is emerging as one of the largest industrial investments in Northern Ghana. The Savelugu facility currently operates about 50 production lines and is projected to employ as many as 10,000 people when it reaches full capacity.
The government is also seeking to connect the factory to a revived domestic cotton industry, potentially creating a value chain stretching from cotton cultivation in northern Ghana through textile and garment manufacturing for local and international markets.
The controversy over who deserves political credit, however, is likely to continue as the NDC touts Northshore as evidence of its 24-Hour Economy and export-development agenda while critics such as Dr Domfe insist the project's pre-2025 history must not be erased.