U/E: Anatu Bogobiri woos Korean investors to revive Pwalugu Tomato, Zuarungu meat factories

The Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Anatu Bogobiri, has called on South Korean investors to partner with the Upper East Region to revive dormant agro-industrial facilities, including the Pwalugu Tomato Factory and Zuarungu Meat Factory, as part of efforts to expand local processing and create jobs.

Speaking on behalf of the Upper East Regional Minister, Akamugri Donatus Atanga, at the Ghana–Korea Business Forum 2026 in Accra on Thursday, November 5, she said the region was ready to work with Korean businesses to restore its agro-processing capacity.

She identified the Pusu-Namongo cotton ginnery and Bolgatanga rice mills as other facilities with potential for industrial cooperation, urging Korean companies to explore opportunities in tomato, rice, meat and cotton processing.

“Korea, know how to run efficient factories. We invite Korean companies to look at our idle agro-processing assets, starting with tomato, rice, meat and cotton. Each of them has buildings, land and community support already in place,” she said.

Mad. Bogobiri said investing in the existing facilities would allow companies to build on infrastructure already available in the region rather than start industrial projects entirely from scratch.

The proposed partnerships form part of the Upper East Region’s broader development agenda under the PEARL Framework 2026–2035, a ten-year GH¢8.6 billion plan covering 15 districts and municipalities, eight sectors and 23 flagship projects.

Beyond investment in agro-processing, the region is seeking Korean expertise in technology transfer and technical skills development to strengthen local capacity.

Mad. Bogobiri said the Regional Coordinating Council wanted Korean partners to work with Bolgatanga Technical University, the University of Technology and Applied Sciences (UTAS) in Navrongo and other technical institutions to train young people in areas such as drone operation, equipment maintenance, geospatial analysis, cybersecurity and coding.

“Technology only lasts when local people can run and repair it,” she said, stressing the need for partnerships that would equip local people with the skills to operate and maintain the technologies introduced.

“In return, we ask that partnerships build local capacity and create local jobs, transfer technology and respect our environment,” she added.

As part of the proposed skills development programme, the regional administration has suggested establishing a training centre at Bolgatanga Technical University, with UTAS as a partner.

To move the discussions towards implementation, Mad. Bogobiri proposed the formation of a joint working group involving the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council, A-Tech Group Korea and the two universities to translate business-to-business engagements into signed project agreements.

A Korean business delegation has also been invited to visit Bolgatanga to inspect the region’s agro-industrial facilities and irrigation schemes.

The proposed cooperation builds on discussions between the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council and A-Tech Group Korea over the past year. Those engagements have been consolidated into a memorandum of understanding between the region and the Korean team, subject to approval by the relevant authorities.