Construction on the $1 billion Ghana-UAE AI and innovation hub in Ningo-Prampram begins this year, with Phase 1 delivery targeted for late 2027.
The project covers 25 square kilometres in Greater Accra, with the first phase occupying 25 acres. Dubai's Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation (PCFC) is funding the entire build. Abu Dhabi-based G42, one of the Gulf's largest AI firms, is the technical partner, with $180 million allocated for an AI compute centre on site. Total AI infrastructure spending is budgeted at $400 million.
Communications Minister Sam George and PCFC Chairman Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem signed the MoU on May 29, 2025. The agreement positions the hub as a regional base for hyperscalers and enterprise tech companies. Microsoft, Meta, Oracle, IBM, and Alphabet are listed as prospective tenants, though none have publicly confirmed lease commitments.
The project's job creation estimates are large: 100,000 or more direct and indirect positions, with the government projecting a 25 percent increase in FDI within five years. Those figures depend heavily on tenant occupancy and the pace of phase delivery beyond the initial 25 acres.
Ghana's contribution is primarily land, regulatory support, and the free zone framework. Local equity in Phase II is capped at 15 percent, meaning the upside for Ghanaian investors is limited by design. The government has framed this as a trade-off for zero capital outlay: PCFC bears the financial risk, and the country gains infrastructure it could not fund domestically.
The hub is the single largest foreign technology investment commitment ever made to Ghana. Local equity in Phase II is capped at 15 percent. None of the five named prospective tenants have signed a lease.
