Accra: The Equipment Design and Fabrication Association of Ghana (EDFAG), a national industry body representing equipment designers, metal fabricators, industrial innovators, and technical artisans across Ghana, has lauded President John Dramani Mahama for the State of the Nation Address (SONA). Mr Ebenezer Kakrah Hammah, the President of EDFAG, in a statement said while they acknowledge the Government's stated commitment to industrialization, youth employment, and skills development, they were compelled to raise serious concerns regarding the continued neglect and under-structuring of the Equipment Design and Fabrication sector in Ghana.
According to Ghana News Agency, EDFAG is calling for urgent regularization of the Equipment Design and Fabrication Sector. The association advocated policy reform, sector regulation, professional standards, and sustainable industrial development within the equipment design and fabrication ecosystem. It noted that the Association worked to promote quality assurance, skills development, innovation, and global competitiveness in Ghana's fabrication industry.
The statement commended the Government's renewed focus on industrial transformation and local production, Technical and Vocational Education, Training (TVET) reforms, youth employment initiatives, and women's economic empowerment. It said these priorities aligned with EDFAG's mission and reflected the right policy direction. However, it emphasized that policy direction without sector regularization would not deliver results.
The statement highlighted that despite repeated commitments to industrial growth, the Equipment Design and Fabrication sector remains largely informal, under-regulated, and under-supported. It reiterated that this was critical to agricultural mechanization, small-scale manufacturing, repair and maintenance ecosystems, innovation and prototyping, and import substitution. Yet, it continues to operate without a clear regulatory framework, standardized certification pathways, equipment safety standards enforcement, dedicated funding windows, and recognized industrial classification.
Key concerns cited included the lack of formal recognition, as the fabrication sector is still not clearly structured within national industrial policy frameworks. Without recognition, growth remains stifled. Other issues include the absence of standards and accreditation, limited access to capital, and weak institutional coordination. The statement explained that there is no streamlined national pathway for accrediting equipment designers and fabricators, undermining quality assurance and limiting international competitiveness. Fabricators struggle to access structured financing because the sector is not properly categorized within formal economic systems. Relevant agencies have not sufficiently coordinated efforts to formalize and regulate this strategic sector.
The statement expressed EDFAG's strong position, respectfully but firmly calling on the Government of Ghana to develop a National Equipment Design and Fabrication Policy Framework and establish a Sector Regulatory and Standards Authority or Dedicated Desk. It also urged the integration of fabrication into mainstream industrial and TVET reforms, the creation of a Dedicated Fabrication Development Fund, and the strengthening of certification and structured apprenticeship systems.
The statement concluded that industrialization could not be achieved through policy rhetoric alone, adding that it requires deliberate structuring of foundational sectors such as fabrication and equipment design. It emphasized that Ghana's industrial transformation agenda would remain incomplete unless the Equipment Design and Fabrication sector is formally recognized, structured, and resourced. EDFAG remains ready to collaborate with government, policymakers, and development partners to build a regulated, competitive, and innovation-driven fabrication ecosystem. "The time for strategic action is now," the statement said.