Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has clarified that Northshore Apparel GH, the garment manufacturing facility in Savelugu, was not funded under the government’s One District, One Factory (1D1F) programme, contrary to claims circulating in public discourse.
In a Facebook post on Monday, August 31, 2026, Awuni said he obtained the facts directly from the project’s promoters, detailing the true extent of government involvement and the financing structure behind the initiative .
Concept Acknowledged But Never Funded Under 1D1F
According to Awuni, the project’s concept was first presented to the then New Patriotic Party (NPP) government through the 1D1F Secretariat and the Ministry of Trade in 2022. While the concept was acknowledged, the project was never funded under the 1D1F initiative .
He noted that the 1D1F programme had concessionary funding arrangements with commercial banks for participating projects, but such support was never extended to Northshore Apparel .
How the Project Was Actually Financed
Awuni disclosed that the project, which held its groundbreaking in 2024, was financed through a blend of sources :
· Grant funding from Investing for Employment, a facility of KfW through the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development
· A commercial loan from ADB PLC, which Awuni stressed was “a purely commercial transaction secured by the promoters, using properties as collateral” and not advanced through 1D1F or any concessionary government support programme
· Equity contributions from the promoters
Awuni compared the ADB arrangement to “collecting a loan to run a fuel business,” emphasising its purely commercial nature .
Government Officials Distanced Themselves at Groundbreaking
The investigative journalist further claimed that at the ground-breaking ceremony in 2024, government officials largely distanced themselves from the project. The only government representative who attended was the Municipal Chief Executive of Savelugu, while the Northern Regional Minister—who had been delegated through a letter from Jubilee House to attend—did not show up .
State Support Came in 2025
According to Awuni, deliberate state support only became available in 2025 when the project, at risk of completion default, was presented to Ghana Exim Bank (GEXIM). Under the leadership of then Managing Director Sylvester Mensah, GEXIM evaluated the project, expanded its scope, paid off the ADB PLC loan, and injected funds at concessionary rates to help bring the factory to its current stage of completion .
“This was the first time deliberate state support was made available to Northshore,” Awuni stated .
He also noted that the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), through its Youth in Garment programme, supported the training of 1,000 beneficiaries, while the National Youth Authority (NYA) supported another 1,000 .
Call for Accurate Facts Amid Job Creation Debate
While insisting on factual accuracy regarding the project’s origins and financing, Awuni stressed that the factory’s primary importance lies in its capacity to create employment for thousands of Ghanaians .
“The most important consideration here is that the factory provides jobs for thousands, and future administrations will support it in the same way they support other local and international businesses,” he wrote. “However, it’s only fair that the facts be presented as they are” .
The Northshore Apparel facility in Savelugu is described as a significant industrial project, currently operating with 50 sewing lines within a 40,000-square-metre footprint, employing over 2,300 workers, and projected to expand to 200 sewing lines and 10,000 direct jobs upon full completion .
