By Edward Dankwah
Accra, Feb. 12, GNA-Ghana, is sharpening its pitch to attract small, impact-focused investors to the small and medium enterprises sector, as the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) champions pro-investor reforms and digital innovations to match investors with high-potential opportunities.
Mr. Abdul-Razak Baba, Deputy CEO of GIPC said Ghana was now positioning itself as a magnet for patient capital and a launchpad for SMEs looking to scale under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Mr Baba was speaking at a high-level panel during the Africa Prosperity Dialogues (2026) in Accra.
The event was on the theme: “Empowering SMEs, Women & Youth in Africa’s Single Market: Innovate. Collaborate. Trade.”
The session brought together top voices in investment, policy, and entrepreneurship to address Africa’s $331 billion SME financing gap and develop actionable plans for driving economic integration and wealth creation across the African continent.
Mr Baba emphasised that Ghana’s existing investment law, originally designed to attract large-ticket FDI, had unintentionally excluded smaller, impact-oriented investors.
“These laws were well-intentioned but minimum foreign capital thresholds have closed Ghana’s doors to smaller-scale investors who want to back our SMEs,” he said.
He announced that GIPC was championing major reforms to the GIPC Act to eliminate these minimum foreign capital requirements, making it easier for diaspora investors, impact funds, and venture capital to invest in Ghanaian SMEs.
“When these reforms pass, they will signal that Ghana is open for inclusive, SME-focused investment. We expect a wave of patient, impact-oriented capital to flow into Ghana,” Mr. Baba added.
While funding remains scarce, the Deputy CEO observed that “many investors are also complaining that they cannot find bankable deals.”
He underscored the urgent need for a harmonised African digital investment facilitation platform that would showcase opportunities across the continent and provide end-to-end matchmaking and advisory support for SMEs and investors alike.
He said Ghana was taking the lead in developing the InvestGhana Portal, GIPC’s new digital investment facilitation platform that will be built on the Centre’s ongoing Investment Opportunity Mapping Project.
The most exciting feature for this portal, he said, would be a Marketplace for Service Providers; a curated listing of Ghanaian transaction advisors, legal experts, tax consultants, and accountants who are critical to turning investor interest into executable deals.
“This is what we call full-cycle facilitation? It is not enough to show the opportunity. We must also connect investors to the right Ghanaian professionals who can structure, de-risk, and close those deals,” he added.
Mr. Baba invited stakeholders to the upcoming Ghana International Investment Summit (GIIS), the Centre’s flagship investor matchmaking event slated for later this year
“This will be Ghana’s premier platform for investors to meet real SME opportunities, not just in Accra, but from across all 16 regions,” he said.
Mr Baba noted that with policy reforms, digital platforms, and the summit underway, Ghana was setting a new benchmark for SME investment facilitation in Africa.
“AfCFTA provides the market. Ghana provides the launchpad. These reforms give us the tools. The next frontier is connecting the right capital to the right entrepreneurs. Ghana is ready to lead that charge,” he said.
GNA