Finance

The period in 1963 when Ghana produced boats under Nkrumah’s industrialization agenda

Yes, you heard that right and there are facts to back that.

Recent newspaper clippings shared from state-owned Daily Graphic newspaper has detailed how Ghana’s industrialization agenda had long kicked off vibrantly with many countries vying to attain same.

The clippings showed that under Dr Kwame Nkrumah’s tenure as president, Ghana became the go-to country for the production and sale of boats used for various purposes such as sailing, fishing among others.

This soaring demand for the boats exceeded the capacity of the Sekondi branch of the production company where the boats were being produced by Ghanaians.

During that period, more than 300 made-in-Ghana boats by the Ghana Boatyards Corporation were actively plying the seas and rivers in many parts of the world.

This demand forced the corporation to build a modern boatyard spanning 40,000 square feet located at Tema.

“This expansion facilitated the construction of much larger crafts in steel as well as in wood. This yard also includes a repair workshop,” the Daily Graphic wrote from its archives in January 25, 1963 with the headline ‘Many countries buy boats from Ghana’.

Just three years on, after the overthrow of Nkrumah in 1966, the Ghana Boatyards Corporation operations collapsed coupled with the failure of successive governments to revamp the once vibrant venture.

Today, that boatyard later became known as the Tema Shipyard which is currently seeking investment to revamp its operations while most of the machines and equipment have lost their value after they were acquired more than 60 years ago.

The story detailing Ghana’s industrialization drive for boat production was written by Eugene Asante in 1963.

See the newspaper clippings below:

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Ogyem Solomon

Solomon Ogyem – Media Entrepreneur | Journalist | Brand Ambassador Solomon Ogyem is a dynamic Ghanaian journalist and media entrepreneur currently based in South Africa. With a solid foundation in journalism, Solomon is a graduate of the OTEC School of Journalism and Communication Studies in Ghana and Oxbridge Academy in South Africa. He began his career as a reporter at OTEC 102.9 MHz in Kumasi, where he honed his skills in news reporting, community storytelling, and radio broadcasting. His passion for storytelling and dedication to the media industry led him to establish Press MltiMedia Company in South Africa—a growing platform committed to authentic African narratives and multimedia journalism. Solomon is the founder and owner of Thepressradio.com, a news portal focused on delivering credible, timely, and engaging stories across Ghana and Africa. He also owns Press Global Tickets, a service-driven venture in the travel and logistics space, providing reliable ticketing services. He previously owned two notable websites—Ghanaweb.mobi and ShowbizAfrica.net—both of which contributed to entertainment and socio-political discussions within Ghana’s digital space. With a diverse background in media, digital journalism, and business, Solomon Ogyem is dedicated to telling impactful African stories, empowering youth through media, and building cross-continental media partnerships.

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