Ghana is stepping up efforts to attract international investment into its cocoa industry, with the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Dr Ransford Anertey Abbey, presenting the country’s new cocoa financing framework to investors at a high-level investment forum in New York.

Speaking at the Africa Cocoa Finance and Investment Forum (ACFIF), Dr Abbey outlined a series of reforms aimed at strengthening the cocoa sector, improving farmers’ incomes and positioning Ghana as a more attractive destination for investment across the cocoa value chain.

He encouraged international investors to explore emerging opportunities in cocoa processing, sustainability, traceability, farm rehabilitation and value addition.

A major focus of his presentation was the government’s ambition to increase domestic cocoa processing to 50 per cent of the country’s total cocoa production.

The policy is expected to create opportunities for investors and local businesses to participate more actively in processing cocoa beans into finished and semi-finished products, allowing Ghana to retain a greater share of the value generated from its cocoa industry.

Dr Abbey’s engagement comes against the backdrop of a major shift in Ghana’s cocoa financing arrangements.

The new framework, anchored by Cocoa Capital PLC, involves a GH¢16.3 billion domestic securities programme designed to finance cocoa purchases and address legacy debt obligations.

The initiative seeks to reduce COCOBOD’s historical dependence on offshore syndicated loans while mobilising funds from Ghana’s domestic capital market.

The financing programme represents a significant change in how the country intends to fund its cocoa purchasing operations, with greater emphasis on domestic financial institutions and institutional investors.

The New York forum brought together government officials, financiers, commodity traders, processors, development partners and investors from Africa, Europe and North America to examine opportunities within the continent’s cocoa industry.

Discussions also centred on sustainable cocoa production, industrialisation, climate-smart agriculture and the need for producing countries to capture more economic benefits from their natural resources.

The engagement forms part of broader efforts to reposition Ghana’s cocoa sector through investment, financial reforms and increased local participation in the global cocoa value chain.

For Ghana, the challenge will be to translate investor interest into tangible investments that improve productivity, strengthen processing capacity and deliver sustainable benefits to cocoa farmers.

MTN Ghana has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the country’s telecommunications infrastructure, describing its investment in 5G technology as a strategic move to sustain network quality and support the increasing demand for digital connectivity.

The telecommunications company says the investment reflects its determination to provide reliable and improved connectivity as more Ghanaians embrace digital services for business, education, communication and other essential activities.

According to MTN, the deployment of 5G technology forms part of its broader commitment to enhancing network performance and supporting Ghana’s growing digital economy.

The company believes that sustained investment in modern telecommunications infrastructure will be critical to meeting the evolving needs of consumers and businesses while creating opportunities for innovation.

MTN has also emphasised the importance of maintaining network quality as demand for faster and more reliable internet services continues to grow.

The renewed commitment comes at a time when digital connectivity is increasingly becoming an important driver of economic activity, with businesses and individuals relying on telecommunications services for their daily operations.

The company maintains that continued investment in network infrastructure will be essential to supporting Ghana’s digital transformation agenda.

Youth unemployment in Ghana has exceeded 32 per cent, highlighting the growing challenge of providing sustainable employment opportunities for the country’s young population.

Figures attributed to the Ghana Statistical Service indicate that approximately 12 million Ghanaians are between the ages of 15 and 35, placing significant pressure on the country’s labour market to create jobs and expand economic opportunities.

Ghana’s youth population continues to represent a significant proportion of the country’s human resource potential, but concerns remain over the limited employment opportunities available to many young people.

With approximately 12 million Ghanaians aged between 15 and 35, the country faces increasing pressure to develop policies and interventions that can translate its youthful population into productive economic contributors.

The reported youth unemployment rate of more than 32 per cent raises concerns about the ability of the economy to absorb young people entering the labour market.

The situation also highlights the need to strengthen technical and vocational education, expand entrepreneurship support, improve access to funding and encourage private-sector investment.

For many young people, securing decent and sustainable employment remains a major challenge, despite their educational qualifications and professional skills.

Stakeholders have therefore been urged to intensify efforts towards job creation, skills development and policies that support businesses to employ more young people.

As Ghana seeks to harness the potential of its youthful population, addressing unemployment will remain critical to economic growth, poverty reduction and national development.

Important statistical clarification

The headline needs a little adjustment to avoid misleading readers. According to the GSS:

• 32.4% – Average unemployment among young people aged 15–24 during the first three quarters of 2025.

• 21.9% – Average unemployment among those aged 15–35.

• About 12 million – Ghanaians aged 15–35 in 2025.

• Nearly 2 million – Young people aged 15–35 were not in employment, education or training in the third quarter of 2025.
  Primary source: Ghana Statistical Service – More Than One-Third of Ghana’s Population is Youth.

Ghana’s Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, has disclosed that the government has introduced approximately 22 laws over the past 18 months as part of efforts to protect the country’s economic gains and ensure that ongoing reforms remain sustainable.

According to the minister, the legislative measures are intended to give the government’s economic policies a stronger legal foundation and make it more difficult for future administrations to reverse key reforms.

Dr Forson made the disclosure during a New Economy engagement at the University of Ghana on Friday, October 30, 2026.

He was responding to a question from Professor Fred Dzanku, Head of the Economics Division at the university’s Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), who sought to know how the government could ensure that its policies and development agenda would continue beyond its period in office.

The Finance Minister explained that the government’s approach involved introducing new legislation, repealing existing laws and amending current ones to protect important policy decisions.

He indicated that some of the proposed amendments would require a two-thirds majority in Parliament before they could be changed, thereby creating additional safeguards against policy reversals.

Dr Forson said the intention was to ensure that Ghana did not lose the economic progress achieved through the ongoing reforms or return to the difficulties experienced during the 2022–2024 economic crisis.

“We are trying to put these reforms into law,” he explained, adding that the government was working to make the progress sustainable.

Public Financial Management Act among key reforms

Dr Forson identified the ongoing amendments to the Public Financial Management (PFM) Act as one of the important measures being pursued to institutionalise the government’s reforms.

The legislation provides a framework for managing public finances, including government expenditure and fiscal responsibilities.

He argued that policies without legal backing could easily be changed by successive governments, making it necessary to establish stronger legislative protections.

The minister also pointed to his experience in Parliament and policymaking as an important factor influencing his approach to sustaining economic reforms.

He maintained that institutionalising policies through legislation would help ensure that critical economic decisions were not abandoned whenever political leadership changed.

The disclosure highlights the government’s efforts to move beyond short-term economic interventions and establish a framework that could preserve policy continuity across successive administrations.

However, the long-term effectiveness of the measures will depend on their implementation, institutional enforcement and the ability of future governments to maintain the reforms.

Ghanaian households using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) are benefiting from a monthly import arrangement that helps protect consumers from sudden increases in international prices, the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) has explained.

Abass Tasunti, Director of Economic Regulation and Planning at the NPA, says the country’s LPG import tender programme allows the purchase price of each consignment to remain fixed throughout a one-month supply period.

Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express Business Edition, Mr Tasunti explained that each imported cargo typically covers the country’s LPG requirements for approximately one month. Once the purchase price is agreed, it remains locked in during that period.

The arrangement has helped explain why LPG prices in Ghana have declined despite significant increases in international market prices ahead of the next pricing window.

According to Mr Tasunti, Ghana had already secured its current supply at a comparatively lower price before the latest international price increases.

He said this allowed consumers to benefit from the earlier import arrangement rather than immediately absorbing the higher costs being experienced on the global market.

Relief could be temporary

However, the NPA official cautioned that the arrangement does not permanently protect consumers from international price movements.

He explained that the same system had previously contributed to a sharp increase in local LPG prices when a new consignment was purchased at a higher cost after the previous supply arrangement expired.

This means that when the current supply period ends, the cost of the next imported cargo could influence prices in the subsequent pricing window.

The monthly arrangement therefore provides temporary protection depending on the price secured for each consignment.

Why diesel prices face different pressures

Mr Tasunti also addressed developments in the diesel market, explaining that supply disruptions affecting major international sources have contributed to pressure on availability and prices.

He pointed to the Russia-Ukraine conflict and attacks on Russian refineries as factors affecting global diesel supplies.

He explained that when major supply sources experience disruptions, reduced availability can create supply-and-demand pressures that influence market prices.

For LPG consumers, the immediate outlook remains linked to the cost of the imported cargo already secured, while future pricing will depend on the terms of subsequent import arrangements.

The NPA’s explanation highlights how the timing and cost of fuel imports can influence prices at the domestic level, even when international market conditions are moving in the opposite direction.

Source: National Petroleum Authority’s Director of Economic Regulation and Planning, Abass Tasunti, speaking on Joy News’ PM Express Business Edition.