The President says customs, tax incentives and public services are being reformed to make doing business in Ghana faster and more predictable.
President John Dramani Mahama has appealed to investors to put their money into Ghana, saying the country's economy is turning a corner and that his government intends to be a partner rather than an obstacle to business.
The Ghanaian Times reports that the President made the call while outlining reforms his administration is pursuing to make the business environment simpler and more predictable for both local and foreign investors.
"Ghana is back and Ghana is open for business," Mr Mahama said. "Ghana is working again. My government is your partner."
What the government says it is changing
The President pointed to three areas of reform.
The first is customs. Clearing goods at Ghana's ports has long been a complaint among importers and manufacturers, and Mr Mahama said procedures are being simplified.
The second is tax incentives. He said the framework that governs reliefs and exemptions offered to businesses is being revised. He did not, in the remarks reported, give details of what will change or when.
The third is digitisation. Mr Mahama said public services are being moved online so that transactions with the state become faster and less unpredictable.
Taken together, the President framed the reforms as an effort to reduce the time, cost and uncertainty involved in setting up and running a business in Ghana.
Why it matters
Investor confidence is a sensitive subject in Ghana. The country spent recent years working through a difficult debt and currency period, and government messaging has increasingly focused on convincing both domestic firms and foreign capital that conditions have stabilised.
For Ghanaians in the United States and elsewhere in the diaspora, the pitch is relevant in a practical way. Many send money home regularly, and a good number look at property, agribusiness, logistics or small manufacturing back in Ghana. The friction they most often cite is not the idea of investing but the process: permits, port clearance, tax treatment and the number of offices a file has to pass through.
If customs procedures and public services genuinely become quicker to navigate, that is the part of the reform agenda diaspora investors would feel first.
What to watch
The President's comments were a statement of intent rather than a published policy package. The test will be in the detail: which customs steps are removed, what the revised tax incentive framework actually offers, and how many public services are fully online rather than partly digitised.
Businesses will also be watching for timelines. None were given in the remarks reported.
