Kofi Ahovi

  Businesses in Ghana are beginning to feel a sense of relief following recent tax updates, a development that is gradually translating into reduced costs for consumers, according to Mary Kwarteng Darko, an Associate Director in PwC Ghana’s tax practice. Speaking during a UK-Ghana Chamber of Commerce and PwC Ghana webinar on “Tax Updates in Ghana”, Darko noted that the changes marked a clear shift in the country’s tax regime from an aggressive stance towards a more business-friendly environment. She remarked that overall sentiment is that the country is taking a more balanced approach to taxation, shifting from a period of heavy tax imposition to one where the system is being rationalised, simplified, and made more business-friendly. She pointed to the abolition of the Emissions Levy, COVID‑19 Health Recovery Levy, and the E‑levy as particularly welcome developments. According to her, these measures directly affect pricing structures and, ultimately, the cost borne by consumers. Al...

  Written By: Beatrice Shine Ayroe A Mother's Story of Tuberculosis, Loss, and Hope (Based on a true account. Names have been withheld out of respect for the living and the dead. This story is dedicated to all those lost to TB, and to all those still fighting.) Before I Knew Before I joined the Stop TB Partnership Ghana, tuberculosis was just a word, a word that meant nothing to me, until it meant everything. I come from a family that believed sickness was something you could see coming. A fever announced itself. Malaria had its signature. But TB? TB crept in like a thief in the night, and by the time we knew it was there, it had already taken what it came for. My brother left for Accra with dreams stuffed into a small bag. Like so many young people, he went to hustle, to find something bigger. We didn't hear much from him after he left, the occasional phone call, that was all. No money came home. No promises kept. Just silence, and then longer silence. When he came back, he wa...

  The Ghana Football Association (GFA) will receive $2.5 million to prepare the Black Stars for the 2026 World Cup after FIFA increased the prize money for participating teams by over $100 million. The figure is a $1 million increase from what was previously offered to teams as preparatory money for the competition. Ghana will receive a further $10 million for qualifying for the competition, an increase from $9 million from the previous tournament. FIFA will increase payments to teams taking part in the 2026 World Cup to almost $900 million, the world soccer governing body said on Tuesday, citing the commercial success of its expanded flagship men's tournament. The FIFA Council, meeting in Vancouver ahead of the 76th FIFA Congress, approved a 15% increase in resources to be distributed to all 48 participating member associations at next year's tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States. The total pot will rise to $871 million, FIFA ​said, with each participating team re...

  The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) posted strong financial performance for 2025, recording total revenue of GH¢5.55 billion and an operational surplus of GH¢909.71 million. The financial report shows that GoldBod generated total revenue of GH₵¢5.55 billion against total expenditure of GH¢109.38 million, resulting in an overall surplus of GH¢5.45 billion, GoldBod said in a statement on Tuesday. After accounting for a profit of GH¢959.72 thousand from GoldBod Jewellery Limited, the final surplus stood at GH¢5.45 billion. The institution’s performance reflects a significant improvement over the 2024 fiscal year, when surplus after exceptional items stood at GH¢185.34 million. Last year, the government provided seed capital of GH¢4.54 billion to support gold purchasing, trading and export operations of the GoldBod. In addition, the board generated GH¢983.96 million in non-tax revenue and GH¢35.34 million in finance income. The non-tax revenue stream was largely driven by Artisanal and Sm...

  South Africa emerged as Ghana’s leading export destination within Africa in the fourth quarter of 2025, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the country’s total exports to the continent, according to the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS). Data from the GSS International Trade Statistical Newsletter shows that Ghana exported goods worth GH₵12.1 billion to South Africa during the period, representing 63.8 percent of total exports to Africa. The report highlights a strong concentration of Ghana’s exports among a few key regional markets. The top five destinations—South Africa, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, and Togo—collectively accounted for over 91 percent of Ghana’s exports to the continent in the fourth quarter. Exports to Burkina Faso reached GH₵2.5 billion, making up 13.2 percent of the total, while shipments to Nigeria amounted to GH₵1.0 billion, representing 5.4 percent. Exports to Côte d’Ivoire and Togo stood at GH₵0.9 billion and GH₵0.8 billion, respectively. Commodity...

  Ghana’s banking sector continues to show signs of recovery and resilience, with total industry assets rising to GH¢465.4 billion as of February 2026, according to the Bank of Ghana’s March Monetary Policy Report. The 21 percent year-on-year growth in assets, though slower than the previous year’s pace, reflects a shift toward more stable and sustainable expansion, supported by stronger domestic asset growth and improved funding conditions. A notable trend in the report is the increasing dominance of domestic assets, which now account for 93.8 percent of total industry assets, up from 88 percent a year earlier. This highlights a growing local focus among banks and reduced vulnerability to external economic shocks. Investment activity played a significant role in driving growth, with total investments rising sharply by 57.5 percent to GH¢192.8 billion. The surge was largely fueled by short-term instruments, which grew by 130.1 percent, pointing to improved money market yields and m...

  Ghana has turned down a proposed bilateral health agreement with the United States after negotiations collapsed over demands for access to sensitive national health data, according to a Reuters report. The deal formed part of Washington’s broader “America First Global Health Strategy,” a policy framework introduced under the Trump administration to reshape foreign aid by pushing partner countries to take on greater financial and operational responsibility for disease control programmes, including HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and polio. Negotiations, which began in November 2025, were expected to secure approximately $109 million in U.S. health support for Ghana over a five-year period. However, talks broke down after Ghanaian officials raised concerns about provisions requiring the sharing of sensitive health data, which they deemed unacceptable. A source familiar with the discussions said the talks started routinely but became increasingly pressured toward the final stages, ...

 The Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) has underscored the urgent need for sanitation courts and sustainable funding for every Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to improve sanitation service delivery and ensure strict enforcement of sanitation by-laws, as the Parliamentary Select Committee on Sanitation and Water Resources continued its oversight engagements in the Western Region. Welcoming members of the Committee to the Assembly, the Metropolitan Chief Executive for STMA, Hon. Frederick Faustinus Faidoo, acknowledged that sanitation management within the metropolis has remained a major challenge despite ongoing efforts by the assembly. He explained that guidelines governing the District Assemblies Common Fund limit assemblies to spending only 10 percent of the allocation on waste management and sanitation, a situation he said continues to constrain effective service delivery. Sanitation issues have not been very easy here, but we are doing our be...

  The Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, on Saturday represented President John Dramani Mahama at the funeral of the late Paul Kofi Governor Tamakloe, father of David Tamakloe, who is the President of the Private Newspapers and Online News Publishers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG) The burial service, held at Klikor Kpordoave Tamakloe-Korpe in the Volta Region on April 25, 2026, drew a host of government officials, political figures, and community members who gathered to pay their last respects. Representing President John Dramani Mahama, Debrah donated GH¢50,000 to support the funeral arrangements and commiserate with the bereaved family. He used the occasion to reaffirm the government's commitment to community development, announcing plans to improve living conditions in Klikor and surrounding areas. These include interventions to expand access to potable water, rehabilitate road infrastructure, and strengthen local healthcare delivery. The Chief of Staff was accompanied by several hi...

  Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Quick Angels Limited, Emmanuel Lamptey, has strongly rejected allegations made by a shareholder of Dominion Paint Manufacturers, insisting that the company’s ownership and management decisions followed due process under a joint venture agreement. Speaking in an interview, Lamptey explained that Quick Angels entered into a joint venture with Dominion Paints in 2019 after the company’s founder, Stephen Komla Adom, sought investment support. According to him, the original shareholding structure—60 percent held by Adom and 40 percent by his then wife—was significantly diluted after Quick Angels injected capital into the business. Following our investment of about $2.5 million, Quick Angels acquired a 75 percent stake, while Adom’s shares were reduced to 15 percent and his ex-wife’s to 10 percent,” Lamptey stated. He noted that the investment went beyond the initial US$300,000 requested by Adom, explaining that additional capital was required af...

  The Ghana Meteorological Agency has issued a weather alert warning of thunderstorms and rainfall activity across several parts of the country, particularly along the coast. In its latest update, the Agency said localised rain-bearing clouds have developed, resulting in cloudy conditions and ongoing thunderstorms accompanied by rain. Areas likely to be affected include the Volta Region, Greater Accra Region, Eastern Region, Central Region, and Western Region. The Agency further cautioned that strong winds may accompany the movement of the thunderstorms, posing potential risks to residents and property in affected communities. It has therefore urged the public to exercise caution and take necessary safety measures as the weather conditions persist.

  Two persons have lost their lives in a fatal road crash at Third Ridge Junction along the Accra–Cape Coast Highway, with five others sustaining varying degrees of injury. The incident, which occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, April 28, has once again underscored growing concerns over road safety in the Central Region, as authorities renew calls for discipline among motorists, according to AdomNews. The Central Regional Commander of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), ACFO1 Merinda Mary Atsigah-Mensah, has cautioned drivers to exercise greater care on the roads to curb the rising incidence of accidents. She attributed many of the crashes to indiscipline among road users, describing the situation as both troubling and avoidable. Personnel from the GNFS Cape Coast Regional Headquarters responded swiftly to a distress call and arrived at the scene to find a collision involving a Toyota Corolla with registration number GW-5769-16 and a HOWO tipper truck with registration numb...

  The Government of Ghana has officially launched a process to attract strategic investors for the establishment of a new national airline, signaling a renewed push to position the country as a major aviation hub in West Africa. In a press release issued on April 28, 2026 and copied to Business Week Ghana , the Ministry of Transport Ghana announced that a dedicated task force has begun engaging potential partners through a structured selection process aimed at identifying a qualified strategic investor. The proposed national carrier is expected to operate from Accra and serve as a hub for both regional and intercontinental travel, with a focus on commercial viability, global competitiveness, and long-term sustainability. Transport Minister Joseph Bukari Nikpe emphasized the government’s commitment to transparency and competitiveness in the selection process. The Government of Ghana looks forward to engaging credible proponents for this initiative,” he stated. According to the Minis...

  By Kofi Asante In a previous article on this platform , I introduced the idea that growth doesn’t come from technology or marketing alone — it comes from how both are designed to work together. This is where most businesses get stuck. Because once you accept that growth must be designed , the next question becomes obvious: What exactly should we be designing? The answer is simple, but often overlooked: The customer journey. The Real Gap in Digital Marketing in Ghana Let’s bring this closer to home. Across Ghana’s digital economy , businesses are actively running ads on social media, investing in websites, and experimenting with e-commerce. Keywords like digital marketing in Ghana , online advertising Ghana , and social media marketing Ghana are now part of everyday business conversations. But there’s a disconnect. Most of these efforts are focused on driving traffic , not designing journeys . A typical flow looks like this: Run Facebook or Instagram ads Drive users to a website ...

 Fuel prices in Ghana are set to ease slightly from May 1, 2026, with the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) announcing lower price floors for petrol and a more significant reduction for diesel in its latest pricing window. In a pricing notice dated April 28, the NPA said the adjustment forms part of its bi-monthly review mechanism covering May 1 to May 15, reflecting shifts in global crude prices and exchange rate movements. “The National Petroleum Authority has set the ex-pump price floors for the May 1 to 15 window in line with the Petroleum Products Pricing Guidelines,” the statement indicated. Under the new rates, petrol has been set at GH¢13.25 per litre, while diesel now stands at GH¢14.30 per litre. Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) is priced at GH¢13.02 per kilogramme, with kerosene and Marine Gas Oil Local set at GH¢16.13 and GH¢15.41 respectively. Compared to the previous pricing window in mid-April, petrol has seen a marginal reduction of 2 pesewas, while diesel has dropped...

  By Kofi Asante I  have spent a lot of time around founders, CMOs, and business owners, and a familiar question always comes up. “We’ve built the platform. We’re running digital marketing campaigns. So why isn’t the business growing faster?” If you ask me, I would say it’s a fair question. Across Ghana today, businesses are investing heavily in websites, social media campaigns, analytics tools, and marketing automation. From the outside, it often looks like everything required for growth is already in place. But growth still feels inconsistent. Campaigns generate attention, but the numbers don’t always translate into sustained traction. Users come in, but they don’t always stay. Marketing activity increases, yet the business impact remains unclear. In my experience, the issue is rarely the technology. And it’s rarely the marketing. The real issue is that most organisations haven’t designed how those two things should work together. My First Real Lesson in Digital Growth I lea...

  The first part of this article looked at the details of the ICC ruling, traced the history of AT Ghana from the days of Airtel, Tigo through AirtelTigo; how government came into the picture, plus the creation of PPL Net and the transfer of Airtel Ghana assets and staff to PPL Net. This second and final part will look at how the huge debt came about, the legal and moral arguments around it, the implication of this whole saga for the investor community, and the pros and cons of the current tower-sharing model in Ghana.  How the heavy debt came about Before Airtel and Tigo merged, they each had their separate equipment on ATC Ghana’s co-location towers sites. But once they merged, it meant the new company, AirtelTigo would need only one set of equipment to operate, because it has only one frequency. But ATC Ghana had committed both Airtel and Tigo to two separate  ten-year   binding   contracts.  So, even after the two companies merged, ATC Ghana continued t...

  Ghana has been plunged into widespread power disruptions following the complete shutdown of the Akosombo Dam after a devastating fire destroyed key infrastructure at the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) substation at Akosombo. The Ministry of Energy confirmed that the blaze caused extensive damage to the dam’s critical switchyard system, forcing authorities to halt operations entirely — a move that has significantly affected electricity supply across the country. Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Monday, April 27, the Ministry’s spokesperson, Richmond Rockson, described the scale of destruction as severe and unprecedented. The switchyard at the Akosombo Substation is completely burnt down and not salvageable. The primary control room is gone. It was even difficult for us to access the site when we went to assess the situation,” he said. He explained that the damage to the switching system — a critical component for transmitting power from the dam — made it impossible to continue ...

  An International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff mission is scheduled to arrive in Accra on April 29, 2026, to begin Ghana’s sixth and final review under its Extended Credit Facility (ECF) programme. The mission, expected to stay for about two weeks, will commence formal engagements on April 30, marking a critical step toward Ghana’s planned exit from the IMF-supported programme in August 2026. The country signed onto the three-year ECF arrangement in May 2023 to stabilise its economy and restore fiscal discipline. This final review will assess Ghana’s performance since the fifth review earlier this year, with particular focus on whether outstanding targets and structural reforms have been met or are close to completion. On the fiscal front, discussions will centre on developments in the energy sector, especially debt management and ongoing structural reforms. The IMF team is also expected to scrutinise government spending priorities, including allocations to key social protection prog...

  In a strategic move to deepen financial inclusion and support the resilience of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs), StarLife Assurance, in partnership with MTN Ghana, has announced a comprehensive insurance package for each winner of the 2025 SME Ghana Awards (SMEGA). The initiative, unveiled during the 2025 SMEGA Awards ceremony, provides each award-winning entrepreneur with a dual-layer security net: GHS 100,000 in Life Insurance coverage for one year, alongside robust Business Protection against fire and allied perils. While recognition is vital, this intervention shifts the focus toward long-term economic sustainability. In Ghana, SMEs account for most of the workforce, yet they remain the most vulnerable to financial shocks. By providing formal risk-mitigation tools, StarLife and MTN are transforming award recognition into meaningful financial sector impact. According to Alex Twumasi, Head of Commercial Distribution, StarLife Assurance, the partnership with MTN Ghana ...