Ghana Recent Activities
The U.S. Commercial Service in Ghana provides a range of services and programs to help American companies enter the Ghanaian market. Our team works diligently to help you identify trade opportunities, find local business partners, launch your company, or promote your products and services.
UPCOMING TRADE SHOWS AND INVESTMENT EVENTS
Ghanaian Companies, please contact us at Office.Accra@trade.gov or +233(0)30-274-1870 to learn more about these trade events and our annual recruitment efforts. As a part of the official Ghanaian delegation to the show, you can receive discounted flights, event packages, and delegation support during the event.
The following are trade shows that we are recruiting for, at present:
Natural Products Expo West, March 13-15, 2024, Anaheim, CA. Contact: Victoria.Agbai@trade.gov
Healthcare Summit, May TBD 2024, Accra, Ghana. Contact: Victoria.Agbai@trade.gov
SelectUSA, June 23-26, 2024, Washington, DC. Contact: Jane.Annan@trade.gov
RE+, September 9-12, 2024, Anaheim, CA. Contact: PaaEkow.Quansah@trade.gov
Pack Expo, November 3-6, 2024 Chicago, IL. Contact: Victoria.Agbai@trade.gov
MINExpo, September 24-26, 2024 Las Vegas, NV. Contact: Laurie.Kelleher@trade.gov
PAST TRADE SHOWS AND INVESTMENT EVENTS
Tech In Ghana, Accra, Ghana, November 28 - 29
Tech In Ghana is the largest, annual ICT conference and show in Ghana. With support from Digital Transformation With Africa, Commercial Service Ghana, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, and 10 partners represented U.S. ICT goods and services, project financing and strategic consulting, training and upskilling and higher education at a US In Ghana booth. Those partners included: Molaprise, Cimcor, Dynamic Green Radiance, VX Technologies, BASICS International, Cybersecurity Institute at Lab Four, Pangea Global, Jamerson Strategic Consulting, Christian Brothers University, and Northeastern University.
WEFTEC, Chicago, IL, September 30 - October 4, 2023
Commercial Specialist PaaEkow Quansah led a delegation of Ghanaian companies seeking water-related technologies to WEFTEC.
Pack Expo, Las Vegas, Nevada, September 2023
CS Ghana Commercial Specialist Victoria Agbai led a delegation of food processors, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and other Ghanaian companies to Pack Expo to meet with U.S. suppliers.
Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, Texas, May 2023
CS Ghana Commercial Specialist PaaEkow Quansah led a delegation to the 2023 OTC.
SelectUSA, Washington, DC, June, 2023
CS Ghana Senior Commercial Officer Dean Matlack led a Ghanaian delegation to the 2023 SelectUSA Summit in Washington, DC.
Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, Texas, May, 2022
Waste Expo, Las Vegas, Nevada, May 9 – 12, 2022
National Restaurant Show – Chicago, IL, May 21-24, 2022
Enlit Africa – Capetown, South Africa, June 7-9, 2022
SelectUSA Investment Summit – Washington, DC, June 26-29, 2022
Women and Youth Trade Training and AfCFTA Business Forum, April 2023
CS Ghana Commercial Officer Laurie Kelleher supported Commerce’s Commercial Law Development Program in providing a Master Class on trade in Africa for women and youth entrepreneurs in Cape Town, South Africa. CS Ghana also attended the African Continental Free Trade Area Business Forum that followed. The landmark Business Forum further defined the AfCFTA opportunity for international companies: an integrated African market addresses fragmentation, consolidating demand, aggregating volumes, and creating economies of scale. It also highlighted the development of Africa’s own maritime vessels; air and rail freight; warehouses; and inland ports to support intra-African trade. Experts explained the role of technical regulations and the need for more mutual recognition of conformity assessment procedures in Africa and that rigorous national-level implementation will be key to the agreement’s success.
Leverage Artificial Intelligence for Innovation Event, April 2023
On April 4, 2022, CS Ghana, AmCham Ghana, and Google’s AI Research Center jointly hosted a roundtable called “Leveraging AI for Innovation” at Google’s offices in Accra. It highlighted several American companies and educational institutions. Commercial Attaché Dean Matlack served as Master of Ceremonies. The event featured a Commerce Department presentation on the state of the AI industry in the US and the explosive growth of investment and use cases for the technology. U.S. Ambassador to Ghana Virginia Palmer gave opening remarks at the event. Google, Nvidia, karaAgro AI (which is supported by several U.S. foundations such as the Rockefeller Foundation & the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation), Webster University (St. Louis), and University of Albany presented on their research, incubation efforts (Nvidia), emerging use cases in Ghana in the agriculture and health sectors, and how the U.S. education sector is responding to the emergence of AI in terms of building out curriculum related to AI across multiple disciplines to train the researchers and workforce of the future.
SelectUSA Lunch, March 2023
On March 1, 2023, CS Ghana organized a SelectUSA Investment Lunch Briefing in collaboration with AmCham Ghana. It included 30 current and potential investors to the United States. Commercial Officer Laurie Kelleher presented on the SelectUSA program and Summit. Select USA’s Obafemi Elegbede explained company registration and other logistics of establishing a company. Local Ghanaian companies Ekumfi Fruits and Anning Bonsu Enterprise discussed their experiences exporting to the U.S. market and why they are considering opening local facilities in the United States.
Franchising Fundamentals Training, October 2022
On October 12-13, CS Ghana - in coordination with the Economics Section of Embassy Ghana, Global Market’s Global Franchising Team, AmCham Ghana, MSA Worldwide, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office - conducted a two-day training for 50+ Ghanaian entrepreneurs seeking to potentially partner with U.S. franchisors. The training addressed franchising fundamentals; business and marketing plans; negotiating contracts; financing and revenue streams; trademark protection; and the Ghanaian tax, legal, and insurance environment for franchising. It included testimonials from local franchisees for KFC, Domino’s, Orkin, and Best Western about running a franchise on a day-to-day basis. At the end of the training, franchisors Dickey’s BBQ, Tumbles, and the Galardi Group (Wienerschnitzel, Tastee Freez, and Hamburger Stand) digitally pitched their franchise models to the new Ghanaian trainees.
African Continental Free Trade Agreement Implementation, July 2022
Commercial Officer Laurie Kelleher participated as a panelist in a conference on the implementation of the AfCFTA agreement and its impact on trade and investment on the African continent.
Minnesota Africans United Visit, July 2022
Memphis in May Event on Doing Business in Ghana and the Larger African Market, May 2022
Commercial Officer Laurie Kelleher provided keynote remarks about doing business in Ghana and the wider African Continental Free Trade Area.
SelectUSA Investment Breakfast, April 25, 2022
Commercial Service Ghana and the American Chamber of Commerce co-hosted a SelectUSA breakfast for 35 Ghanaian companies and high-net-worth individuals. The event highlighted the United States’ preeminent role as a destination for global FDI, the resources available via SelectUSA and at the Investment Summit, and Ghana’s emerging role as an investor in the United States. There are several complementary industries such as agribusiness, logistics, and personal care products. Commercial Attaché Matlack will lead a delegation of 18 Ghanaian companies to the SelectUSA Investment Summit in Washington, DC in June.
Digitizing Africa’s Economy – The Case for Blockchain, April 20-21, 2022
Commercial Attaché Dean Matlack provided keynote remarks about the emerging applications for digital assets and enterprise blockchain.
Minnesota Africans United and Global Minnesota event on Doing Business in Ghana and the Wider African Continental Market, March 2022.
Commercial Officer Laurie Kelleher gave keynote remarks about the major sectors of business opportunity in Ghana for U.S. companies and the emerging African Continental Free Trade Area.
Women Empowered Leave Legacies through Trade and Investment (WELLTI) seminar on Ghana: Building Business Gateways, October 19, 2021
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Commerce Camille Richardson held a Ghana-focused edition of the WELLTI Coffee Chat series. It provided a platform for U.S. business owners to learn about doing business in Ghana from women at the forefront of the agribusiness, personal care, and hospitality sectors. Participants exchanged best practices for growing their business and making new business connections.
New line of LOGIC Mobile Phones, Tablets, and Laptops Launches in Ghana
ACCRA, Ghana, March 1, 2024 — Today, the U.S. company TMCell and its Ghanaian authorized distributor, RKM Ghana Limited, launched the LOGIC Brand of mobile phones, tablets, and laptops in Ghana. The launch event, which was jointly hosted with the Commercial Section of the U.S. Embassy, was held at the African Regent Hotel. The Honorable Adelaide Yaa Agyeiwaa Ntim, Member of Parliament representing the Nsuta-Kwaman-Beposo Constituency in the Ashanti Region, among other dignitaries, attended the event.
In his opening remarks, U.S. Commercial Counselor Dean Matlack celebrated American innovation and quality, noting that, “The LOGIC brand will resonate with Ghanaians’ desire to connect to each other and the wider world as well as to use technology to build great things. We see the tremendous application of these affordable mobile phones and devices for the broader middle class, farmers, teachers, and small business owners, among others.”
TMCell Business Development Director Susan Palon highlighted the LOGIC line’s robust operating system, memory, battery and processing capabilities and its compatibility with a broad array of applications. She explained the company’s warranty and after service policies.
The LOGIC launch celebration also included a performance by the band White Angel and networking cocktails among the participants. Further public activities to announce the brand’s arrival in Ghana will take place throughout March in Accra.
Background: Established in 2004, TMCell is the master distributor for the LOGIC brand globally. It is also a direct distributor of wireless handsets, accessories, and data products for all broadband technologies that has more than 40 years of international mobile industry experience. The LOGIC line of products can be viewed at https://www.logicmobility.com/. To reach the authorized distributor and company please contact raymondmarfo@rocketmail.com and susan@tmcell.com, Tel: 024-438-4431 or Tel:059-510-8019.
Brij Technologies Enrolls First Merchants in Ghana and Achieve Elusive ‘Last Mile’ in Cross-Border E-Commerce
From Left to Right: Simon Madjie, Executive Secretary, American Chamber of Commerce Ghana; Dean Matlack, Commercial Counselor, U.S. Foreign Commercial Service; Aloy Chife, Chairman, Brij Technologies; Kwame Oppong, Head of Fintech and Innovation, Bank of Ghana; Pierre Liautaud, Director, Digital Credit Management; Nicolas Saint-Remy, Chief Commercial Officer, Digital Credit Management; Kingsley Addai Frimpong, Chief Executive Officer, Digital Credit Management; Samuel Adablah, Director, Brij Fintech Ghana
ACCRA, Ghana, January 30, 2024 - Today, the Africa Merchant Online Enrollment Roadshow cohosted by the U.S. Embassy’s Commercial Section and Brij Technologies Inc. (Brij) with Digital Credit Management Ltd. (DCM) saw the enrollment of the first Ghanaian Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) on a cross-border payment platform developed by two U.S. startups, in what is a historic opening for intra-Africa trade. For the first time, customers can now make direct, real-time payments in their own currencies to Ghanaian vendors from anywhere in the world, without the prohibitive cost of FOREX transfers.
The standing-room only program held at the Labadi Beach Hotel included vendors and merchant aggregators, as well as representatives from the Bank of Ghana, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation, the Ghana Enterprises Agency, the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, the American Chamber of Commerce Ghana, the Private Enterprise Federation, and Stanford Seed.
The first phase of the project will provide SMEs access to an online marketplace, for goods and services, which includes a suite of business management tools, including invoicing and payment tracking, allowing them to send bills and receive payments directly into their chosen bank and MoMo accounts. The second phase will provide e-commerce tools to enable the listing of catalogs of goods and services online.
The enabling engine is Brij’s pan-African Paybills.Africa platform, which aims to bring millions of African vendors to a central online marketplace, organized by sector, for simplified and cost-effective access for global payers. The payment solution can also be integrated directly into existing digital marketing and online businesses, allowing customers to submit payments supported by Paybills.Africa directly through vendors’ websites or through the platform in the case of vendors who do not have websites. With the new enrollments, Ghana joins 21 other countries for which the absorption of direct inbound vendor payments is supported by Paybills.Africa.
In his opening remarks, Dean Matlack of the U.S. Foreign Commercial Service noted, “with its leading role in the creation of a unified African market and robust mobile money environment, Ghana has rightly earned its reputation as a digital hub. However, the missing link between MoMo usage and regional trade integration is the enabling mechanism for cross-border payments, and we saw immediately the potential for Brij and DCM’s technology to fill this gap in Ghana and wider Africa.”
“The lack of interoperability between mobile money providers remains the greatest obstacle to Africa’s growth.” said Mr. Ehi Binitie, Director of Brij. “When customers around the world can make direct payments in their own currencies to Ghana’s vendors, these vendors will finally have access to the tools they need to take their place in the global digital marketplace.”
“This project will transform the ambitions of AfCFTA and PAPSS to accelerate intra-African trade through cross-border e-commerce into a reality. As the primary payment processor for Paybills. Africa in Ghana, we look forward to working closely with partners, SMEs, and regulators to create a solution that works for customers and businesses alike.” commented Mr. Pierre Liautaud, Director of DCM.
Mr. Kwame Oppong, the Head of Fintech and Innovation for the Bank of Ghana congratulated the organizers, emphasizing the importance of such a dialogue across government and industry. He emphasized the policy of the Bank of Ghana, “to create a culture of innovation through a clear regulatory framework that will drive investment across Ghana’s digital financial sector.”
Mr. Oppong also previewed the upcoming 3i Africa Summit to be held in Accra Ghana from 13 to 15 May, which aims to promote positive enabling and regulatory environments and catalyze investment into Africa’s digital economy and said the conversation would continue there.
The success of the Brij-DCM project is built upon the online enrollment of Ghanaian vendors onto the online marketplace. Brij and DCM invite all Ghanaian businesses to register as billers under the platform, linked here. For further inquiries on Brij, please contact Terence Raft: terence.raft@brij.africa.
Identity Verification and Know Your Client (KYC) Tech, April 13, 2022
The Bank of Ghana and California-based company Acuant headlined our webinar to discuss solutions for identify verification and KYC and their use in the fintech and wider banking sectors. Commercial Specialist Victoria Agbai served as moderator.
Global Diversity Export Initiative Trade Mission to Ghana August 8-13, 2023
From August 8-13, CS Ghana welcomed Under Secretary Lago and a 24 company/chamber delegation under the Global Diversity Export Initiative (GDEI). As part of a multifaceted agenda, the Under Secretary met with Ghanaian government officials from the Trade, Finance, and Energy Ministry as well as the Mayor of Accra, the Diaspora Affairs Office of the Presidency, and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat. She and the GDEI delegates also participated in an overarching U.S. – Ghana Business Expo, which included a welcoming reception, an opening ceremony, a luncheon focused on leveraging diaspora interest in Africa, and an executive walkthrough of the trade pavilion. During the visit, GDEI sponsor Black & Global Business Network signed an MOU with the Association of Ghana Industries. A new franchise licensing agreement was also signed by Budget Car Rental during the Expo. As part of the GDEI Trade Mission, CS Ghana organized more than 120 traditional B2B meetings over two days.
CS Ghana also arranged for the GDEI companies to have individual booths in a custom-built trade pavilion, where they met with a steady stream of outside visitors. This provided additional marketing and business opportunities. (More than 450 people had pre-registered to attend the U.S. – Ghana Business Forum.) U/S Lago and targeted GDEI companies also participated in three roundtables organized by CS Ghana on global diversity business chambers, cybersecurity, and electrical vehicles/environmental goods. The latter two featured local regulators and key players in the industry and offered insights into the business opportunities and regulatory environment for GDEI companies.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner Visit to Ghana, July 2023
Commercial Service Ghana helped to support the logistics and in-country briefing for the visit of Houston Mayor Turner and a business delegation to Ghana. Houston-Ghanaian trade alone exceeds $250 million annually.
Visit of Vice President Kamala Harris and First Gentleman Doug Emhoff to Ghana March 2022
CS Ghana supported Embassy Ghana’s efforts to welcome VP Harris and First Gentleman Emhoff to Ghana by developing and executing several women’s economic empowerment and entrepreneurship events during the visit. We were able to showcase local entrepreneurs such as women-led ‘57 Chocolate, Kawa Moka as well as important new U.S. company entrants to the Ghanaian market such as ePac Flexibles.
Visit of Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves to Ghana June 2022
Deputy Secretary Graves led a 16 company U.S. Chamber of Commerce business delegation to Ghana to launch the Department’s Africa Commercial Engagement Strategy (ACES) and participate and a 200-person U.S. – Ghana Business Forum in Accra. He met with Ghanaian Vice President Bawumia, Finance Minister Ofori-Atta, Minister of Communications and Digitalisation Owusu-Ekuful, and Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry Krapa, among others.
Visit of Regional Senior Commercial Officer Cynthia Griffin, December 2021
In December, RSCO Cynthia Griffin visited Ghana to engage key partners such as Ghana’s National Coordination Office for the African Continental Free Trade Area.