By Albert Amekudzi Ghana’s mines spend billions of dollars annually on goods and services, yet many critical inputs are still manufactured abroad. A deliberate mining-led industrialisation strategy could turn this purchasing power into factories, skilled jobs, tax revenues, foreign-exchange savings and a new export industry serving West Africa. Every mine is also a major industrial consumer. It buys chemicals, machinery, pipes, valves, wear parts, processing materials and engineering services. Yet many of these inputs ultimately originate from factories thousands of kilometres away. This represents one of Ghana's greatest untapped industrial opportunities. According to the Ghana Chamber of Mines, mining companies spent approximately US$3.46 billion on goods and services in 2025. The Chamber has consequently called for Ghana to progress from local procurement towards actual local manufacturing. Government should translate this enormous purchasing power into a deliberate Mining Inp...
By Perfect Fafa Wegba Limited capital and an unsuitable business location are among the major challenges confronting Esther Grant, a mobile money vendor in Pantang Village, Accra, as she seeks to expand a business she started with GH¢2,000. Although Grant says the business has recorded significant improvement since its establishment, she believes her limited working capital continue to limit the growth of her business. She also considers her current location less favourable, saying a better location could have created greater opportunities for the busines. It is therefore obvious that the challenge is no longer simply about starting a business. It is about finding the resources and conditions needed to expand and build on the progress already made. Her situation reflects a challenge faced by many small-business owners with limited capital and must depend on gradual growth to sustain their operations. A difficult beginning Grant's journey, just like many entrepreneurs starting with ...