Ghana is moving to expand Accra’s capacity to host major international conferences and exhibitions with an 81,422-square-metre Accra Convention Centre that will be financed as an investment by the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT).
President John Dramani Mahama is expected to formally launch construction in the coming weeks through a groundbreaking ceremony at the Ghana Trade Fair Centre in La, Accra.
Government Communications Minister Felix Kwakye Ofosu announced the project on October 7, describing it as SSNIT’s latest investment. The planned Accra Convention Centre will have a 3,000-seat main conference hall, a Presidential Hall for high-level meetings, four large auditoriums and additional facilities designed for major conferences and events.
The project forms part of a broader push by Ghana to strengthen its position in the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) market, an industry that brings together international business travel, conferences, exhibitions, hospitality and related services.
For Ghana, the investment comes as Accra seeks to compete for a larger share of the international conference market in West Africa. Large international events generate demand beyond the venue itself, including hotels, airlines, restaurants, transport operators, event companies and professional services. The new centre also comes at a significant moment for Ghana’s existing conference infrastructure. The Accra International Conference Centre (AICC), which has hosted major diplomatic, political and international gatherings for decades, was closed in March 2026 for renovation works.
No reopening date was initially announced. Mahama had already told Parliament in February that renovating the AICC alone would not be sufficient for Ghana’s ambitions. His government said it would pursue a new Convention and Creative Events Centre to strengthen the country’s position as a West African destination for conferences, exhibitions, concerts and other large-scale events.
The SSNIT-backed project therefore represents a second track in Ghana’s conference infrastructure strategy, with the existing AICC being refurbished while a substantially larger new facility is planned at the Trade Fair Centre.
SSNIT’s involvement also makes the project significant from an investment perspective. The pension fund manages contributors’ assets and invests across sectors to generate returns that support its long-term pension obligations.
The Accra Convention Centre is consequently being presented as an investment by the pension scheme rather than simply as a government construction project. The government has not yet disclosed the total project cost, contractor, construction period or expected completion date. Those details will determine the scale of SSNIT’s capital commitment and when the facility could begin generating economic activity.
If delivered as planned, the centre would give Accra another large-scale venue capable of hosting international conferences and high-level meetings, strengthening Ghana’s infrastructure as the country competes for business and conference tourism from across Africa and the wider global market.