Accra, Feb. 12, – Ghana is sharpening its pitch to attract small, impact-focused investors into the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) sector, as the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) champions pro-investor reforms and digital innovations to match investors with high-potential opportunities.
Mr. Abdul-Razak Baba, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of GIPC, said Ghana was positioning itself as a magnet for patient capital and a launchpad for SMEs seeking to scale under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Mr. Baba was speaking at a high-level panel during the Africa Prosperity Dialogues (2026) held in Accra.
The event was on the theme: “Empowering SMEs, Women & Youth in Africa’s Single Market: Innovate. Collaborate. Trade.”
The session brought together leading voices in investment, policy, and entrepreneurship to address Africa’s estimated 331-billion-dollar SME financing gap and to develop actionable strategies for driving economic integration and wealth creation across the continent.
Mr. Baba emphasised that Ghana’s existing investment law, originally designed to attract large-scale foreign direct investment (FDI), had inadvertently excluded smaller, impact-oriented investors.
“These laws were well-intentioned, but minimum foreign capital thresholds have effectively closed Ghana’s doors to smaller-scale investors who want to back our SMEs,” he said.
He announced that GIPC was championing major reforms to the GIPC Act to eliminate minimum foreign capital requirements, thereby making it easier for diaspora investors, impact funds, and venture capital firms to invest in Ghanaian SMEs.
“When these reforms pass, they will signal that Ghana is open for inclusive, SME-focused investment. We expect a wave of patient, impact-oriented capital to flow into Ghana,” Mr. Baba added.
While funding remains limited, the Deputy CEO noted that many investors also struggle to identify bankable deals.
“Many investors are complaining that they cannot find bankable deals,” he said, underscoring the need for stronger investment facilitation mechanisms.
He stressed the urgent need for a harmonised African digital investment facilitation platform to showcase opportunities across the continent and provide end-to-end matchmaking and advisory support for both SMEs and investors.
He said Ghana was taking the lead through the development of the InvestGhana Portal, a new digital investment facilitation platform to be built on the Centre’s ongoing Investment Opportunity Mapping Project.
A key feature of the portal, he explained, would be a Marketplace for Service Providers — a curated directory of Ghanaian transaction advisors, legal experts, tax consultants, and accountants essential for turning investor interest into executable deals.
“This is what we call full-cycle facilitation. It is not enough to show the opportunity. We must also connect investors to the right Ghanaian professionals who can structure, de-risk, and close those deals,” he said.
Mr. Baba invited stakeholders to the upcoming Ghana International Investment Summit (GIIS), the Centre’s flagship investor matchmaking event scheduled for later this year.
“This will be Ghana’s premier platform for investors to meet real SME opportunities, not just in Accra, but from across all 16 regions,” he said.
Mr. Baba noted that with policy reforms, digital platforms, and the summit underway, Ghana was setting a new benchmark for SME investment facilitation in Africa.
“AfCFTA provides the market. Ghana provides the launchpad. These reforms give us the tools. The next frontier is connecting the right capital to the right entrepreneurs. Ghana is ready to lead that charge,” he said.
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