Kofi Ahovi

 Stanbic Bank Ghana has strengthened its support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with the launch of a practical digital skills training programme designed to help businesses expand their reach and remain competitive in an increasingly digital economy. Delivered in partnership with PrymeAds and facilitated through the Stanbic Business Incubator, the initiative brings together entrepreneurs, industry experts, and business development consultants to build capacity in critical areas such as digital marketing, content creation, direct marketing, and data analytics. Speaking at the opening session, the Head of Business Development at Stanbic Bank Ghana, Safoa Appietu-Ankrah, highlighted the urgency for SMEs to embrace digital transformation, noting that it is no longer optional but essential for business survival and growth. She explained that the Bank’s ongoing engagement with businesses nationwide, particularly through its Stanbic SME Clinics has consistently revealed a g...

Ghana’s economic recovery continues to show encouraging signs of resilience, supported by strong gold export performance and improving macroeconomic stability, even as rising global oil prices present new external challenges. That is according to the latest economic outlook on Ghana by Standard Bank, Stanbic Bank Ghana’s parent company. Speaking on recent developments, Head of Africa Research at Stanbic Bank, Jibran Qureishi, noted that Ghana has made meaningful progress in stabilizing inflation, rebuilding foreign exchange reserves, and restoring confidence in the economy. While global energy market developments require careful monitoring, he said the country is better positioned today to navigate external shocks. He explained that, as a net oil importer, Ghana remains sensitive to movements in global crude prices, particularly amid ongoing geopolitical uncertainty. However, stronger domestic fundamentals and policy reforms are helping to cushion potential impacts on the broader econo...

    International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan The Pan African Business Forum (PABF) has thrown its full weight behind International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor, Karim A. A. Khan , urging global stakeholders to respect the outcome of an independent judicial review that cleared him of any wrongdoing. In a strongly worded statement addressed to the President of the Assembly of States Parties, Ambassador Paivi Kaukoranta , the Forum expressed “firm and unequivocal support” for the Prosecutor in the wake of recent media reports and internal developments within the ICC. The statement, signed by Dr. Ladislas Prosper Agbesi on behalf of the Forum’s Executive Committee, highlighted what it described as troubling attempts to cast doubt on the findings of a duly mandated judicial panel. According to PABF, the panel—comprising three distinguished international judges—conducted a thorough and impartial review of the evidentiary record and reached a unanimous conclusion...

  A Tender Committee has recommended the grant of the mining lease for the Damang Gold Mine to Engineers and Planners Limited, following a competitive evaluation process conducted by the Minerals Commission. The recommendation comes after a tender process initiated under Regulation 258 of the Minerals and Mining (Licensing Regulations), 2012 (LI 2176), aimed at selecting a strategic investor to take over the mining lease and operations of the Damang mine. According to the report, four companies responded to the public tender announced in the media. Out of these, two firms were shortlisted by the Mineral Titles Department of the Minerals Commission and subsequently submitted to the Tender Committee for detailed assessment. After what was described as a comprehensive evaluation, Engineers and Planners Limited emerged as the highest evaluated bidder, leading to the Committee’s recommendation for the award of the lease. Gold Fields Ghana Limited, which has operated in the country since...

  The Chief Executive Officer of Development Bank Ghana, Prof. Randolph Nsoh-Ambala, has explained that government’s $500 million oil palm financing facility is intended to catalyse private sector investment and transform Ghana’s oil palm industry. The facility, announced in the 2026 Budget by Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, will provide long-term financing for players in the oil palm value chain, including a five-year moratorium on both principal and interest payments. Speaking at a roundtable discussion on oil palm financing in Accra, Prof. Nsoh-Ambala explained that the initiative is designed to restructure the sector, improve productivity, and strengthen local processing capacity while reducing the country’s dependence on imported palm oil. There have been some confusions around what this represents,” he noted. “What government seeks to do with this fund is to transform the various fragmented production units within the value chain into a coherent ecosystem that will a...

  The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) is pushing back against concerns over lost revenue following the abolition of the E-Levy, COVID-19 levy and betting tax, revealing stronger-than-expected collections in early 2026. The development challenges assumptions that removing the taxes would significantly weaken government revenue, even as pressure mounts to find new fiscal buffers. Speaking at a forum organised by the Centre for Policy Scrutiny, the Technical Advisor to the Commissioner-General of the GRA, Elsie Appau Klu, posited that while the tax removals were initially seen as a setback, the outcome has been more nuanced. She argued that “initially, like any person would think, yes, of course, abolishing these three taxes were considered as losses to government, and it puts some pressure on our staff.” But she pointed to a strong revenue rebound, stating that “this first quarter we have achieved 20% more than what we’ve collected last year… the GRA… has collected 33.7 billion Ghana c...