Economy

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...

In 2012 Ghana found itself in the spotlight for having among the highest GDP growth rates in the world in 2011, thanks to the impact of oil revenues and the rebasing of the economy. The GDP figures released for 2013 show that growth is continuing at a robust rate – at just under 8% – but headline expansion has not resolved the twin current account...

Although there is always scope for improvement, Ghana’s judicial system – particularly as it relates to business activities – is one of the more effective and transparent on the continent. This is due in large part to a series of targeted changes that have sought to strengthen the judiciary’s independence, roll out new channels of dispute...