Mahama Pitches Ghana as Africa’s Gateway at Africa–Singapore Business Forum

President John Dramani Mahama has urged investors to view Ghana as a reliable entry point into Africa’s booming markets, describing the continent as “investable” during the opening of the 8th Africa–Singapore Business Forum on Tuesday.

Delivering his first address on a three-day state visit to Singapore, Mahama framed Ghana as the “gateway” to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), highlighting the country’s role in connecting investors to over 400 million consumers in the ECOWAS sub-region and the wider $3.4 trillion single African market.

“Africa is investable, and Ghana is your reliable gateway to the continent,” he said.

The President stressed that Africa and Asia, the world’s fastest-urbanising and youngest regions, should deepen South–South cooperation through “open markets, trusted rules and practical partnerships” that deliver jobs, technology transfer and shared prosperity.

Warning that “the death knell of multilateralism is sounding” as global trade faces fragmentation, Mahama argued that new alliances are vital. He underlined Africa’s strengths — a young, digitally connected population of 1.4 billion, a vibrant fintech ecosystem, and opportunities in agribusiness, manufacturing, logistics, and tourism.

Trade between Africa and Singapore has already grown by nearly 50% since 2020 to almost $14 billion, with Ghana–Singapore trade alone surpassing $215 million in 2024. Currently, 69 Singaporean firms operate in Ghana with cumulative investments exceeding $2 billion.

Mahama also unveiled his “24-hour economy” strategy to make Ghana more competitive, built around four pillars:

Grow24: year-round irrigated farming on 2 million hectares.

Make24: agro-industrial parks in textiles, pharmaceuticals and food processing.

Show24: tourism development along Lake Volta.

Connect24: transforming Lake Volta into an inland transport hub to reduce logistics costs.

He assured investors that inflation is easing, the cedi is stabilising, and ratings outlooks are improving, while the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre is offering sector-specific data to guide investment.

Describing Singapore as an ideal partner, Mahama pointed to its expertise in finance, logistics, and technology. “Your excellence in project preparation, blended finance, and risk management is precisely what Africa needs to turn projects from pipeline to bankable,” he told the forum, which included top Singaporean government and business leaders.

The President also called for reforms to global financial systems, noting Africa’s $1.3 trillion annual financing gap, infrastructure needs of up to $221 billion a year, and a $213 billion yearly climate-finance shortfall.

Mahama closed by assuring investors that Ghana offers “a stable, reform-minded environment, connected to AfCFTA, designed for scale, and committed to long-term partnerships built on trust and integrity.”