Africa Economy

The people of Ghana are well known for their friendliness. In fact, according to a poll in Forbes, Ghana was voted the 11th friendliest nation on earth in 2011, and the reason why is evident as soon as you walk off of the plane. As the people are so warm and friendly, greetings should always be acknowledged.

With the economy growing at record rates, the authorities are working to keep pace with rising demand for water, power and sanitation. Compared to many neighbouring countries, Ghana’s utilities are in healthy standing, though the sector has not been without problems. Over the past year power outages increased to the point that local industries cited...

The capacity of Ghana’s state-owned power providers to improve and expand infrastructure with the necessary speed has encountered a number of financial restraints. The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) sets the price consumers pay for electricity artificially low, according to the providers. As a result, the three primary firms – the...

With plentiful sunshine in Ghana and foreign investors displaying interest in green projects, the government is planning a robust solar portfolio. Indeed, the Ministry of Energy has set the goal of generating 10% of electricity from modern renewable sources by 2020, and a number of projects are currently being undertaken as part of this objective...

As is the case in many emerging markets, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play a crucial role in Ghana’s economy, driving both activity and employment. Still, their impact is lower than it could be due to a challenging operating environment.

Outperformance remains the key feature of Ghana’s economy, seven years after the discovery of oil prompted new optimism in the country, which was then celebrating the golden jubilee of its independence. But the GDP growth experienced in 2012 and in the early part of 2013 has been accompanied by an expansion in government borrowing and a worrying...