Starting a Business - Ghana

Every enterprise with any degree of foreign ownership must register with the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre under GIPC Act 865. Wholly Ghanaian-owned enterprises are exempt. GIPC registration is separate from and additional to ORC company incorporation.

Wholly foreign-owned enterprises must invest at least US$500,000; joint ventures with a Ghanaian partner holding at least 10% equity require US$200,000. Trading enterprises — regardless of ownership split — require US$1,000,000 and must employ at least 20 skilled Ghanaians. Capital can be in cash or capital goods. No minimum capital applies to manufacturing, export trading, or portfolio investment.

Section 27(1) of GIPC Act 865 bars non-citizens from petty trading, selling in markets or stalls, hawking, operating sachet water businesses, retailing pharmaceuticals, printing basic stationery, running taxi services with fewer than 25 vehicles, and operating lotteries (except football betting). Foreigners caution-warranted in any retail-adjacent activity.

The process involves: (1) name search/reservation at ORC; (2) obtaining Tax Identification Numbers (TINs/Ghana Card PINs) for all directors and shareholders; (3) preparing constitutional documents; (4) submitting via ORC e-Registrar portal or in person; (5) paying registration fees; (6) post-incorporation GIPC registration. Standard processing takes a few days to two weeks; a 48-hour expedited 'Prestige Service' is available at additional cost.

There is no general ceiling on foreign equity outside reserved sectors — 100% foreign ownership is permitted for most business activities provided the US$500,000 capital threshold is met and GIPC registration is completed. Joint ventures have no foreign equity cap but the Ghanaian partner must hold at least 10% for the lower US$200,000 capital threshold to apply.

A Ghana Investment Promotion Authority Bill pending in Parliament as of early 2026 proposes eliminating the minimum capital requirements for joint ventures and wholly foreign-owned non-trading companies, retaining the US$1,000,000 floor only for trading enterprises. The bill had not been enacted as of February 2026.