Mahama Scraps Minimum Capital Requirement to Attract More Foreign Investors

President John Dramani Mahama has unveiled bold reforms aimed at making Ghana one of Africa’s most open and competitive destinations for global investment. Speaking in Tokyo at the Presidential Investment Forum during the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD IX), Mahama announced that Ghana will abolish the long-standing minimum capital requirement for foreign investors under the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) Act.

The move is designed to lower entry barriers for international businesses and boost Ghana’s private sector growth. “We are open for business and working to review the GIPC Act,” Mahama told investors. “Some barriers were put to foreign investment. You had to prove that you had brought in a certain amount of money to be classified as a foreign investor. In the reviewed Act, we are removing those minimal capital investments. This will enable any investor, however little—100,000 dollars, 50,000 dollars—to set up a business in Ghana.”

Highlighting Ghana’s improving economic outlook, Mahama pointed to the cedi’s stability, falling inflation, and credit rating upgrades as signs of a turnaround. Inflation, which soared to nearly 23% in 2024, has now fallen to 13.7% and is projected to hit single digits by year-end. “Our cedi has stabilized, and we’ve been upgraded from junk status to B minus with a stable outlook,” Mahama said, expressing confidence in further upgrades soon.

The President urged Japanese investors to take advantage of Ghana’s investment potential in sectors such as automobile assembly, agribusiness, energy, digital services, and manufacturing. He emphasized that several Japanese companies already have a strong presence in Ghana, with room for more partnerships.

Backing Mahama’s call, the Minister for Trade, Agribusiness, and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, described Ghana as a strategic gateway for Japanese businesses seeking to expand under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). “Let us therefore move forward with determination, turning today’s dialogue into joint ventures, industrial clusters, and supply chains that carry the stamp of both Ghanaian resilience and Japanese excellence,” she encouraged.

With these reforms, Ghana is signaling to the world that it is ready to welcome investors of all sizes and drive growth through stronger international partnerships.