Business News of Wednesday, 7 October 2026

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Why Ghana attracts investor interest but struggles to turn commitments into actual inflows

The report places Ghana in the “commitment-led” category The report places Ghana in the “commitment-led” category

Ghana has attracted significant investor interest and investment commitments in recent years, but the country continues to face challenges in converting those commitments into actual capital inflows, according to the Africa Investment Pulse 2026 report by Emerging Market Advisory.

The report places Ghana in the “commitment-led” category, meaning investors have identified opportunities in the country and are willing to commit capital, but some of the conditions required for those investments to be fully deployed remain unresolved.

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The report identifies several sectors attracting investor attention in Ghana, including digital payments, small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) and trade finance, agricultural processing, healthcare, pharmaceutical distribution, education, logistics, warehousing and export manufacturing.

However, it notes that investor interest alone is not enough to guarantee that capital will eventually enter the country.

A key challenge is moving investments from commitments to actual implementation and disbursement, with several risks needing to be addressed before investors can release funds.

According to the report, issues including VAT recovery, customs exposure, currency pressures, GIPC compliance and documentation involving local partners are among the factors affecting investment execution in Ghana.

Investors have therefore had to consider VAT refund timelines, strengthen tax-clearance documentation and confirm regulatory approvals before proceeding with their investments.

The report further indicates that currency stability and access to suitable local-currency financing are important to Ghana’s ability to convert investor commitments into actual inflows.

It notes that investors are more likely to proceed when risks can be properly managed through measures such as currency protection, guarantees, insurance and enforceable contracts.

“Ghana’s challenge is no longer simply attracting attention from investors; the critical test is whether the country can create the conditions for committed capital to be deployed,” the report noted.

It further highlighted the importance of predictable approvals, tax certainty, foreign-exchange transparency and effective project execution.

Ghana has a broad range of investment opportunities, but improving the systems around financing, taxation, customs, regulation and local partnerships will be critical if the country is to move from attracting investment commitments to recording stronger and more consistent actual capital inflows.



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