President John Mahama has declared Africa as the world’s next major investment destination, urging global investors to look to the continent for scale, stability, and opportunity.
Speaking at the opening of the 8th Africa–Singapore Business Forum in Singapore on Tuesday, Mahama said Africa is ready for growth and Ghana is the continent’s most reliable entry point.
“I speak today as an African leader and as President of Ghana. Our message is simple: Africa is investable, and Ghana is your reliable gateway to the continent. The continent is the world’s most dynamic emerging market,” he stated.
Mahama pointed to Africa’s demographics and market potential as unmatched opportunities. With a population of 1.4 billion—young, fast-urbanising and digitally connected—the continent is projected to host more than 700 million urban consumers by 2030. He added that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has created a $3.4 trillion market, lowering barriers across supply chains.
He further highlighted Africa’s vast renewable energy resources and leadership in mobile money and fintech adoption, but stressed that “this opportunity must be matched with capital at the right price and with the right instruments.”
As the African Union’s Champion on Financial Institutions, Mahama acknowledged the continent’s financing deficit, estimated at $1.3 trillion annually. He noted that infrastructure needs alone run between $181 and $221 billion per year through 2030, with an additional $213 billion required annually to close the climate finance gap. He said Africa is taking steps to build a financial system that works for the continent, accelerate the African Monetary Institute as a precursor to the African Central Bank, and link major stock exchanges through the African Exchanges Linkage Project.
Mahama urged Singaporean businesses to partner with Africa, stressing that Singapore’s strengths in finance, logistics, fintech and green innovation are “precisely what African projects need to move from pipeline to bankable.”
Highlighting Ghana’s advantages, Mahama said the country hosts the AfCFTA Secretariat, connects to more than 400 million consumers in West Africa through ECOWAS, and offers political stability, a rules-based environment and a double taxation agreement with Singapore. He revealed that 69 Singaporean companies are already registered in Ghana, with cumulative investments exceeding US$2 billion.
He also pointed to ongoing reforms including a national reset to stabilise the macroeconomy, restore confidence, and simplify regulations. Inflation is easing, the cedi has stabilised, and ratings outlooks are improving, he said, adding that Ghana is reviewing its Investment Promotion Act to remove minimum capital thresholds for foreign investors.
Mahama presented Ghana’s 24-Hour Economy as a bold model for growth. “Our economic strategy is anchored in productivity, exports and jobs. We call it the 24-Hour Economy—for a reason. Ghana is open for business 24 hours a day,” he said.
At the core of this vision is the Volta Economic Corridor, built on four pillars: Grow24, which will irrigate over two million hectares for year-round farming; Make24, agro-industrial parks for textiles, pharmaceuticals and food processing; Show24, tourism and hospitality along Lake Volta; and Connect24, transforming Lake Volta into a cost-efficient inland transport spine to reduce logistics costs and link farms, factories and markets.
He also cited other catalytic projects, including the Legon Pharmaceutical Innovation Park, the Kumasi Machinery and Technology Park, the Akosombo-Juapong Garments and Textiles Park, Digital TVET Centres of Excellence and renewable energy corridors.
Mahama invited Singaporean investors to “bring your teams and put Ghana’s readiness to the test” during a Presidential Business Roundtable on the third day of his visit, where bankable projects, direct access to regulators, and incentives for investors will be showcased.
Concluding, he described Ghana as “a stable, reform-minded country, connected to the AfCFTA, designed for scale; a 24-Hour Economy that matches your need for speed, reliability and standards; a pipeline of investable projects in agribusiness, logistics, manufacturing, energy, digital and tourism; and a partner that values integrity, predictability and long-term relationships.”
Source: Abubakar Ibrahim
