The Ambassador of Spain to Ghana, Ángel Lossada Torres-Quevedo, has assured Spain’s commitment to supporting the growth of Ghana’s agro-processing industry as GB Foods Africa prepares to roll out a major tomato production project in the Afram Plains.
The assurance came during a courtesy call on Ghana’s Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, which the ambassador attended alongside the Chief Executive Officer of GB Foods Africa, Vicenç Bosch, the Director for Institutional Affairs & Agribusiness (Africa), Dr. J. Teddy Ngu, and other officials from the Spanish Embassy.
Discussions focused on expanding large-scale local raw material production in Ghana, as GB Foods Africa unveiled plans for a 6,000-acre tomato project in the Afram Plains. The initiative is expected to significantly scale up domestic tomato cultivation to feed the company’s processing operations in Ghana.
The project is projected to be more than three times the size of GB Foods’ existing farm in Nigeria, another key African production hub for the company. If fully implemented, it will become GB Foods Africa’s largest farm on the continent. The company has been piloting tomato farming and processing in Ghana over the past two years, with harvesting from the expanded acreage expected in the coming weeks.
Ambassador Torres-Quevedo described GB Foods Africa as one of the most important and reliable agro-business companies noting that its investments generate socio-economic returns for Ghanaians beyond direct capital injection into the sector. He emphasised Spain’s readiness to collaborate in strengthening agro-industrial value chains that promote local production and reduce import dependency.
Chief Executive Officer Vicenç Bosch said the expansion is rooted in a long-term strategy to localise raw material sourcing for the company’s flagship product, Gino, rather than relying on imports.
“For us, this is about developing the industry where we operate. It is not about importing; it is about building local capacity,” he stated.
GB Foods Africa expects yields to reach 40 tonnes per acre in the project’s second year, following a successful pilot phase that produced 20 tonnes per acre in its first year. The company anticipates steady improvement in productivity, drawing from its experience in Nigeria, where yields have increased to between 60 and 70 tonnes per acre.
By comparison, average tomato yields in parts of Central Africa range between five and ten tonnes per acre, while more advanced producers such as China and Spain record yields of approximately 180 tonnes and 140 tonnes per acre respectively.
However, Mr. Bosch acknowledged the competitiveness challenge posed by low-cost tomato imports and called for supportive policy measures, including quota arrangements similar to those implemented in countries such as Senegal and Nigeria, to allow domestic production to scale sustainably over a five-to-seven-year period.
Minister Ofosu-Adjare assured the delegation that government would continue ongoing consultations to explore policy options that facilitate the company’s expansion while safeguarding returns on investment. She commended GB Foods Africa for its contribution to Ghana’s agribusiness sector, noting that the initiative aligns with the government’s broader food security and industrialisation agenda.
“If you have the industry here but your raw material is somewhere you do not control, when there is a problem there, you suffer. We are committed to ensuring that raw materials are produced in Ghana so that food security can be assured,” she stated.
The engagement also reflects the broader economic relationship between Ghana and Spain, which continues to deepen through trade and investment. Spain is among Ghana’s important European trading partners, with bilateral trade largely driven by Ghanaian exports of crude oil, cocoa, and other agricultural products, while Spain exports machinery, industrial equipment, ceramics, processed foods and pharmaceuticals to Ghana. Spanish companies have maintained a visible presence in Ghana’s energy, construction and agro-industrial sectors.
Trade relations between the two countries are supported by longstanding diplomatic ties and European Union–Ghana trade frameworks, which facilitate market access and investment cooperation. Spain has also shown interest in expanding collaboration in renewable energy, fisheries and agro-processing — sectors considered strategic to Ghana’s industrial transformation agenda.
The proposed 6,000-acre tomato project therefore stands not only as a corporate expansion but as a symbol of deepening Ghana–Spain economic partnership anchored in value addition, technology transfer and sustainable agricultural development.
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