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Buoyed by the onset of oil production and accompanying capital inflows at end-2010, Ghana’s economy grew faster than any other in the world in 2011, and while the pace looks set to moderate somewhat on the back of reduced export demand and more modest commodity revenues, its upward trajectory continues.

As it works to expand its economy, Ghana has proven that it is open to becoming a fertile testing ground for innovations. Mobile microinsurance is one example that has come out of this forward thinking, as has index insurance, which has the potential to not only boost coverage in rural areas, but also prime the agricultural sector for growth. Index...

While government bonds are a popular form of investment among both retail and institutional investors, there are currently no corporate bonds listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE). However, the government is undertaking an initiative to encourage more issues and listings, and developments such as pension reform are set to spur increased activity...

In many ways, Ghana’s political scene is one of its most recognisable defining features. Descriptions of the country, including this report, often stress the fact that Ghana, in contrast to many of its neighbours, has had two decades of stable democracy, with free and open elections, comparatively low levels of corruption and a lack of broader...

With employment a perennial political hot potato, the authorities have been undertaking a number of schemes to boost job prospects in the country. These include training initiatives, backed by international donors, as well as policies targeted at maximising the number of positions to be awarded to Ghanaians, especially within the energy sector.

While small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in many ways constitute the backbone of the economy, they continue to face challenges, one of the largest of which is access to finance. Alongside initiatives to improve the availability of bank credit (see Banking chapter), the authorities are moving to create an equity market for SMEs with reduced...