KEY POINTS
- Ghana to remove minimum capital for investors.
- Mahama pushes reforms at Tokyo investment forum.
- Japanese firms expand operations in Ghana’s economy.
Ghana is scrapping rules that set minimum capital requirements for foreign investors as the government moves to make the economy more accessible to small and medium-scale businesses.
President John Mahama announced the reform at the Ghana Presidential Investment Forum held alongside the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD-9) in Yokohama, Japan, on Tuesday.
Ghana to remove minimum capital for investors
“In the reviewed Ghana Investment Promotion Centre Act, we’re removing those minimum capital investments,” Mahama said. “This will enable any investor, however little money you have, $100,000, $50,000, to be able to come in and set up a business in Ghana.”
Under the current law, foreign investors must meet equity thresholds before setting up businesses, with higher levels for trading companies and wholly foreign-owned enterprises. The proposed amendment will ease entry requirements, opening doors for smaller investors.
Mahama pushes reforms at Tokyo investment forum
The announcement underscores Ghana’s strategy of broadening investor participation at a time when the country is deepening trade and investment ties with Japan. Mahama highlighted that Japanese companies, including Toyota and Honda, already assemble vehicles in Ghana, with more than $152 million in Japanese investment recorded in recent decades.
The forum forms part of Ghana’s broader investment drive, which also includes the government’s 24-hour economic policy and a planned $10 billion infrastructure program to boost industrialisation, agro-processing, and exports.
Japanese firms expand operations in Ghana’s economy
By easing regulatory barriers, Ghana is positioning itself as a more inclusive investment destination. The reforms come as African economies compete to attract foreign capital, particularly in sectors such as manufacturing, tourism, and energy.
Mahama said the changes were intended to make Ghana attractive to investors “of varying sizes” while supporting the government’s broader agenda of job creation and sustainable growth.
