GHANA: A List Of Profitable African Business Opportunities You Can Start Now

GHANA: A List Of Profitable African Business Opportunities You Can Start Now

Are you looking for a list of profitable African business opportunities? Then you are at the right place! We are back from our Business & Investment Mission to Ghana 2017 and what an amazing and successful trip it has been!
I have to say: I am used to working in Africa and to opening doors, but the doors have been opened so widely this time for our participants that even I was surprised 🙂

Frankly it took our participants 5 days to get a foot into the door…oh no, make that two feet, in a very concrete manner. They are ready to go and get their business started in Ghana RIGHT NOW!

But we did our homework – we positioned them strongly, so they approached local stakeholders from a position of strength offering concrete value to the local company, the country's markets and development agenda. It was powerful stuff…..and the business partners we met ranged from committed hard-working cocoa farmers….. over managers of top banks and hotels…..to Ghana's leading government departments.

Done – done – and done!

Maybe now it is YOUR turn, to step into your very own potential that may still be hidden deep inside you….your turn to tap into Africa's HUGE resources and demands on the marketplace….to build a lifestyle you truly crave….to build wealth for yourself and Africa!

What are you waiting for?!

In today’s post I want to cover some of Ghana’s amazing opportunities. I have covered a huge deal following our last business mission last year, and if you missed that article, you can still read more about those secret insights in my blog post:

Ghana: 6 Mind-Boggling African Business Opportunities You Must Not Miss

 

But today I want to let you into more opportunities [images used in this post are all my own!].

 

How much capital do I need to start a profitable African Business in Ghana?

Before I share some amazing business insights, we need to get some clarity first: It is very important that you understand how much capital you need when starting a business in Ghana….if you are a non-Ghanaian national. And with that I do not mean the starting capital for your own business operations, but the capital the Government of Ghana requires you to bring into Ghana if you are not a citizen of the country.

We were welcomed by the Ghana Investment Promotion Center (GIPC), which is the government entity for doing business and investing in Ghana. And we asked them that particular question, to get some clarity. Well, there is bad news and good news for you if you want to start a business in Ghana as a non-national – and it is straight forward. You can watch my 6 mins video about those exact requirements here.



 

 

Opportunity #1: Chocolate processing!

IMG_0280Ghana chocolateIMG_0266

The chocolate industry is a billion Dollar industry worldwide. But did you know that a total of 70% of all the cocoa in the world comes from Africa? And out of that both Ghana and Ivory Coast are Africa's top producers.

The tragedy however is that Ghana and other cocoa producing countries in Africa are exporting their chocolate in raw format. They make about 20% profits or less of the chocolate trade, whereas the remaining 80% is made outside of Africa. Why? Because value addition – so the processing of a raw product such as cocoa into a final product such as chocolate is where the money is. And that is not taking place in Africa. 

And for this reason, when the world thinks about chocolate, it thinks Belgium chocolate….or Swiss chocolate….. – and sadly, Africa is not on that map. 

But there is good news! The awareness across our continent is finally, finally changing. LOCAL value addition through processing and manufacturing is the TOP agenda of almost every fast emerging African economy….and Ghana is no exception.  This is very true for the cocoa industry, too.

We met with the new Ghana Cocoa Board. It is a huge office, with a clear mandate, and a strong vision. And many people in the cocoa industry we talked to, have the hope and optimism that things are finally changing.

This is where you come in!

You can start processing chocolate locally, sell it in Ghana, export it into other African markets or outside of Africa (did you for example know that a great amount of Ghanian cocoa is exported to Japan?).

You may worry about this being a very complex or capital intensive venture…

It isn’t.

Let me tell you: We met a couple of chocolate makers in Ghana – one who grew up there and ome from the Diaspora who moved to her homeland in Ghana from Britain just two years ago…

And they are rocking!

They both started their chocolate vanture on a shoestring budget….learned how to make chocolate on YouTube…..they use their kitchen and homes as processing plants…..and they are producing amazing quality chocolate! So delicious and so well packaged and branded that top hotels, banks, corporate clients, and government among other belong to their clientele. Truly, the sky is their limit!

Watch my video where we are at a cocoa farm – here I share the start-up story of one of the local chocolate processors who raised to a leading brand in 2 years!

P.S. A huge thank you to the cocoa farmers who gave us so much insights – it was an amazing trip to the farms! 

 

Opportunity #2: Start a Training Venture using your Skills

Those of you who have been following me for some time, know that setting up a training venture in Africa is in my view one of the best African business models for the Diaspora, which I have promoted for quite some time. This is particularly true, if you want to manage your African business from abroad and you want to get started on a shoestring budget. It allows you to use your knowledge, your skills, your experiences that you may have gained professionally as a base to start your venture. No capital injection needed (except for your website and flight tickets), no permits, access to land, imports, exports, inventory… Just you and your knowledge based on a sound strategy to enter the market and grow, because you provide amazing relevant content and quality.

It does not matter if you train ICT skills, customer service skills, team management, sales, high performance you will find a growing market in many of  Africa’s capital cities.

But I will let you into a secret that I teach my boot camp participants, Academy members, and coaching clients: In general it is still difficult to sell ‘non-physical products’ in Africa. If you hand someone over a machinery they need and you say it costs $10,000 you can make that sale. But to sell a training in Africa at the same price is not as easy. This is why it is absolutely vital that you sell your training packages within industries that generally understand the value, because they heavily depend on it – and that's why they will pay. This is primarily the case in two African industries:

The financial industry and the hospitality industry. A training for engineers across various sectors, is another potential opportunity. Offer a training package relevant to one of them (we found out in Ghana that getting into the hospitality industry was easier, but you can also focus on smaller local financial companies). Then you build your track record and portfolio.

How to market your training? Word of mouth and repeat customers are what will allow you to grow once you have your foot in – we heard that first hand from training experts in Ghana.

 

Opportunity #3: Food Processing & Manufacturing

IMG_0070 IMG_0071

As you have heard in my video (the one on how much capital you need to bring into Ghana), manufacturing is a key priority for the government and hence non-Ghanaian nationals can start a manufacturing business in Ghana without any minimum capital requirements to get registered.

Manufacturing of course ranges across many industries, but I want to focus today on food & drink manufacturing. Why? Because it is going to be the fastest growing sector in Africa (according to Ernst & Young). This is why during my research routine, which I always do during any visit in Africa, I go through supermarket shelves to have a good look at product labels to get an understanding of locally manufactured brands. I was once more seriously SHOCKED of what I found (well, and what I did not find).

(Side note: My supermarket trips are so important to me that when I emerged out of the shop, my local business partner joked: ”When you disappeared in the supermarket, I told our participants that you were not in there to do shopping, but that you are checking out the products, and just when I finished saying that we saw you literally hanging half way in a freezer looking at labels.” 😊 )

Yes, indeed the freezer it was. Let me tell you about a few of my findings….and why they are AMAZING BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES for you.

 

1. Potato chips (French fries)….or call it ‘peeling and cutting potatoes’

Producing potato chips (french fries) is probably one of the easiet manufacturing process one can think of. You get potatos, peel them, and cut them – done. Does Ghana have potatoes – yes you bet, and it also has sweet potatos, which you can also use.

Simple. Right?

Now, the freezers in our Accra supermarket where filled with potato chips (french fries) coming in all sizes and brands. They took up an entire long row, much more as I am used to in our supermarkets in Europe! Now guess where they were produced ?!

 

Holland – Denmark – Italy – and yes, GUATEMALA in South America ! None made-in-Ghana….

 

Cost of the imported french fries? A whopping US$6-8 for a 2,5 kg bag !!! Wow, what a healthy margin….but not much of this is staying in Ghana.

 

I know, well, this 'craziness' is continuing, so please keep on reading.

 

 

2. Tomato paste & ketchup….smashing tomatoes….

Africa is wasting millions & millions of tons of tomatos every single year. They rotten. In Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Ghana…largely because of missing storing and transport facilties. 

 

What does it take to produce tomato paste or ketchup? A simple manufacturing plant – maybe a little more sophisticated than cutting potato chips, but overall a straight forward process. You know what comes next right? Well, yes, I checked the ketchup…

 

I found one local brand. 3 brands were imported from France and one from as far as the USA. That's 4:1 for imports! When I asked the owner of a local hotel what kind of products they buy locally and what they import, tomato ketchup was one of the main food products she mentioned that she imported.

 
3. Cornflakes….made of….corn?

Whenever I do my research in African supermarkets, I check the breakfast cereals and I can tell you they are almost always completely imported. More and more upper middle class families in Africa adopt Western eating habits including breakfast….

Ghana has corn – and it is very cheap. Africa has corn in every backyard. Yet the cornflakes in our Accra supermarket – at a price of around a whopping US$6 – came all the way from the USA and Germany!!

This is a another niche opportunity for you…

 

4. Pineapple juice….just squeeze it

Ghana is the land of pineapples. They are sweet, delicious, juicy and hands down some of the best fruits I have ever eaten anywhere – in Africa or abroad.

 

They melt on your tongue.

 

Pineapple juice production requires…..well….to squeeze the juice out of the fruit….and then package it. Simpler than simple, right?!

 

And where did the pineapple juice in this large supermarket come from?

 

France (4 brands !!!), Egypt, and Lebanon!

France wins. A country where no pineapple grows, sells its pineapple fruit juice brands to Ghana – the land of pineapple.

 

Ok, why don't we look at sliced pineapples. Tiny pieces in a tin. Simpler than juice.

Canned fruits – tropical fruits! – in Accra's supermarket shelves came from China, France at US$2-5 and the sliced pineapple came from…..Ghana….? Nope, Thailand it was – at $4.

Cutting pineapples and mangos into bite-sized pieces in Ghana and transporting them the same day by air into London is a business model we came across during our last business mission in Ghana with a Diaspora entrepreneur. He had won major deals with Tesco's and Sainsbury's (UK's largest supermarket chains) and just this simple concept made him a millionaire after returning to Ghana for business a few years ago. And this does make sense – because the UK loves pineapple but does not grow them. Ghana does. Your opportunity in this area is manifold. 

But back to our supermarket in Accra….and here is something I simply did not expect…..

 

5. Cocoa powder…..the brown gold of Ghana, right?!

As you know we covered Ghana's cocoa industry in great detail during this business mission trip. Ghana is the world second largest producer of cocoa after Ivory Coast, which is next door. So surely, I would find simple cocoa powder in the supermarket. The kind of simple process you require to produce the powder one uses for baking…or making a chocolate drink….

 

I marched to the shelve and saw immediately that it offered quite a lot of options. Great! Who would have thought. But then seriously, I was in for a shock – probably the biggest I ever during my famous Africa supermarket research. There was ONE made-in-Ghana cocoa brand on the shelve.The cocoa powder in Ghana's popular supermarket was imported from….

 

Hong Kong.

Lebanon.

France.

Switzerland.

USA.

Holland.

Price range US $4 – 18 (for the Nesquick)

 

Now I have to confess: I was not happily or patiently taking notes anymore. I kind of always do, with the feeling of excitement for the opportunities this creates for people in Africa, for the Diaspora…..for people like you and me. But this time I got angry. Seriously. I marched out of the supermarket back to our group and for the first time, I said: 'This is stupidity. It's simply sad and stupid and we all have to start taking responsibility.'

 

I hope I did not offend anyone.

But sometimes the truth hits home.

 

Here you have the cradle of cocoa bean production, yet the products – the simple cocoa powder – is imported from around the globe from countries who don't produce a single bean. We have the richest continent on this planet – yet we complain about poverty and see the devastation of it every single day

 

The cocoa powder example in Ghana's supermarket – a country that even enjoyed peace, stability, and economic growth for decades – is the image of that contradiction across the continent. And for once I don't accept that we use colonialism or corrupt leaders or even expensive electricity as our escape goat for not being able to produce pineapple juice or cocoa powder locally…..create jobs…..cut down import spending (yes, it will have to happen gradually and that's OK)…..and develop….

Yes many challenges exist. Many – but we need to get started anyway. Luckily, things are changing in Africa – with the new generation of African entrepreneurs at the forefront and increasingly enabling policies – peple have built amazing and powerful businesses. Many who are right now starting from scratch and who arelaying the foundation for new African business empires. Leaders. Innovators. Disrupters. This is where we find our hope and our amazing one-in-a-lifetime-opportunity. 

We are in charge of turning the future of Africa around. Every single one of us. in our own humble way. And we shall start in those stable countries that are free of armed conflict and where one can do business, because the business environment is enabling and packed with so many opportunities that you don't even know which one to take on. The success will trickle down…..for generations to come….nationally, regionally, across the continent…and it will have a ripple effect on those countries that today seem far away from ever realising such opportunity. 

 

Dear Africa Business Jumpstarters, I hope you did not mind my strong tone in the end, but this is precisely, why I do what I do and why I do it so passionatley. This is precisely, why we should stop chasing monthly wages when we can create African businesses or start investing in existing businesses on the continent to build real impact.

 

Not only will we be able to get rid of our own chains and limitations in life, become financially abundant and grow as a person alongside the business we build, leaving behind a legacy for our family….but at the same time we will be able to significantly contribute towards Africa's future and development. 

LEAD – BY – every single one of US.

 

This is why – we have to continue to support each other.

Empower each other. Educate ourselves.

 

Why we should not see our ambitions as single incidents…

But a mass movement and effort. We are in it together.

With love for Africa.

Thanks for reading and feel free to share your feedback and own view below.

 

Natasha & chocolate cocoa ghana1 IMG_0285 IMG_0039 IMG_0016 IMG_0018

Champagne demo training IMG_0062IMG_0271IMG_0012 IMG_0016 Ghana mission group

 

 

Dr. Harnet
Dr. Harnet Bokrezion is the Founder of africajumpstart.com and co-author of the book '101 Ways to Make Money in Africa'. She coaches individuals and consults existing companies assisting them to make smart and strategic business decisions in Africa’s new emerging markets faster and more confidently. Dr. Harnet also regularly writes for the renowned DHL powered publication howwemadeitinafrica.com. Get in touch to inquire how she can be of assistance to your own Africa business endeavors: harnet@africajumpstart.com

User Comments ( 117 )

  • Jessica

    Amazing article. I felt the tone throughout your article and I completely understand the frustration. This is why we need you continue the work of making the language of business in Africa as digestable to us Diasporans as possible. For myself, when I think of manufacturing and investing in Africa, I get scared but you really make things sound easy to acquire through actionable steps. Continue your work Dr.Harnet.

    • Dr. Harnet

      Thank you, Jessica, this is very kind of you – your words are also a great motivation for myself. I am glad you are finding the insights I am providing useful.

      Best wishes!

      • Harriet

        Thanks Dr Harnet You have just hit the nail on the head. I understand the passion you have for Africa business and development. It is high time we all contribute to this by investing and starting a business in Ghana.Thanks for the good work you are doing.

        • Dr. Harnet

          Thank you, Harriet, for your enthusiastic feedback. Yes, I hope more and more will follow to start African businesses!

      • Margaret Asare

        Dear Dr. Harnet, my name is Margaret a diaspora in the UK. I am currently studying International Relations and would love to start a business in Ghana, however, I am not quite sure which route to take and how to start it. I would love for you to give me some guidelines and advice of you wish.

        Thank you in advance

        Kind regards

        • admin

          Dear Margaret,

          We are happy to see your Africa ambitions, and would like to support you.

          You can start here on our website;

          http://africajumpstart.com/best-for-diaspora/

          • Eric

            Dear Dr. Harnet, my name is Eric from Ghana and staying here as well i want to start start my own business by Exporting some of our local food outside the country but i don’t know how to start it please.

            also i have a land which we can use it for livestock farming so i need a partnership so we can start +233243936647.

          • admin

            Hi Eric,

            Hi Eric,

            I am Crystal, the Operations Manager at Africa Business Jumpstart.

            While partnering is not a service that we provide, we can get you started with your business here: https://drharnet.mykajabi.com/p/secrets-to-a-successful-African-business

    • Wamboi

      DR. HarnetThanks for this african business movement your motivating tone and uprising energy to open our minds in seeing the gold in our land can be equated to that of Nobel Winer Nelson Mandela of South Africa and civil rights leader Martin Luther King and not forgetting Nobel winnerProfessor Wangari Marthai the Kenyan Green Belt movement starter.  We are behind you and place Africa in the map of filthy rich wealthy  mother Africa. 

      Wamboi

       

       

  • Atalyeba Patrick

    Great opportunities…… When are you visiting us in Uganda to also expose such opportunities for investment to investors 

     

    • Dr. Harnet

      Dear Atalyeba – Uganda is definitely on my personal list to explore. I meant to visit it this August after a visit to Kenya, but due to the Presidential elections in Kenya during that month I decided to postpon this East Africa trip. Thanks again!

  • Lilly

    Thank you Dr Harnet for all this awesome insight, manufacturing is one was Africans should focus on for sure. Make our own finished products and import them. 

    • Dr. Harnet

      Abslutely, Lilly, manufacturing and local value addition is the way foward!

  • Bill Thompson

    Dr. Harnet, you are truly amazing.  We commend you on your leadership in assisting entrepreneurs with an interest in Africa.  Congratulations on your recent Mission to Ghana.

    Bill Thompson
    Senior Partner
    PAN Diaspora Captial Management
    New York, NY

    • Dr. Harnet

      Dear Bill, thank you so much for your kind words of encouragement. 

  • Brandon

    Great read Dr. Harnet. Thanks for much helpful insight you're able to provide. 

    • Dr. Harnet

      You are very welcome, Brandon, and thanks for taking the time to provide feedback.

  • Philippe

    Dr. Harnet,

    Yours articles are truly inspiring. Specially this one. Like Jessica, I am also interested in manufacturing in Africa but I am afraid by our continent context. But your article makes me believe that it' doable. Maybe hard -like everywhere in fact- but still doable.

    Thank you for that. Please keep inspiring us.

    • Dr. Harnet

      Dear Philippe – thank you for your words and for sharing also some of your concerns. Risk and challenges do exist of course, and more so in an emerging market context. But there are countries in Africa that are stable, that have a enabling business environment, and where risk is still relatively low as compared to high risk markets in Africa. So if such risks or challenges like corruption are a real worry to you, then go for these lower risk markets. Also when we think about risk, let us not forget that millions lost their jobs and businesses in the US and the West during the financial meltdown. So risk is somehow relative anyway. Therefore, yes it can be done! 🙂

  • Amber

    Thanks for so much valuable information about business  opportunities in Ghana. I habe been working out a plan to promote my service beaded business there but needed to know which industry would bite and benefit most.  Your article not only gave me validation but but direction as well.  Thanks a billion! 

    • Amber

       please excuse the typos

  • Tembo

    Rousing.. The simplicity of it all is what really gets me worked up.. What do we need to get started? A message in the clouds? People make chocolate and cornflakes in their kitchens surely we can do much more! I blame us the élite'..crowded in bars watching foreign soccer, drinking foreign brews, wearing foreign clothes instead of spending weekends inventing and innovating. I have started in my small way, still small, still frustrating but I have started. Thanks for your cheers along the way Dr Harnett.

  • Nelly Mhangami

    Dr Harnet

    Thanknyou for these insights. How can l pay and join your group of mentees. Also is there any people who would like to form conglomerates in any of these industries.

  • Lisa Stef John

    Hi Dr Harnet!!

    I could feel the passion in what you were writing, especially the cocoa powder, it really hit home. As a diasporian of Ghana decent, I have been to Ghana for the past two years 2/3 weeks at a time on holiday and we bypass this kind of thing!!! (shameful) we cry and say Ghana is expensive because they export all products but we dont decide to make our own. we wait 4 the 'right time', 'right' amount of savings when really we just need to start with what we have! believe and invest in ourselves and continient. I actually feel quite sad reading this, it makes me want to get on a plane and start maunfacturing cocoa powder NOW. Just some questions, how do we access the cocoa farm? Once we have made the powder on the ground? How we find packaging materials and designers on the ground? Does this have to be mass produced or can I literally produce them by hand? Once the product has been produced, just to contact supermarkets and take it from there???

    and with the pineapple production, do you have to OWN land to farm pineapples??? or can we just go to the areas where pineapple is produced (i saw your youtube video) get them from the farmers, cut and thin them???? For the juice production, is it really as simple as it seems? get the pineapples, juice them and get packagaing and thats it?! Does it have to be 'made from concentrates' to preserve the life. Or can it be produced 100% pineapple 

     

    You have really opened my eyes. Thank you. Its the simple things we overlook and tend to look and wait for BIG ideas when we can start with everyday things. 

     

    I hope you do reply to me all my questions above!!!! Thanks for all your hard work and effort. God Bless You, literally! 

  • FRANCIS BARAM BENDU

    Hello Dr Harnet,

    Thanks for the knowledge and awareness of doing business in Africa to both Africans in the Diaspora and those back home.

     And thanks for  List Of Profitable African Business Opportunities One Can Start in Ghana, that goes for most African Countries. Dr Harnet our major problem in doing the above-mentioned business ideas in Africa is Electricity. Food Processing & Manufacturing business needs a constant supply of energy, which we lack in Africa. Until this major setback (electricity) is addressed by our governments, our continent will continue to be importing the finished product of the crops we are growing in Africa. 

    • Wamboi

      I seem to agree with Francis here, electricity is one great road block.

      How can we figure out this electricity supply problem. Black outs are the norm of the day and they call it electricity supply rationing.

      Wamboi

  • Philip

    Dr. Harnet, God richly bless you with more knowledge to help African entrepreneurs. Is 2:41AM and I don't even know how I got on here but I am very pleased for this insight, This has been a very good read for me. Thank you

    • Stephanie

      Amma, can I please get your contact details I would love to get in touch with you asap I am a diasporian of ghanaican descent and want to take the first step and grab these opportunities

      • Amma

        Hi Stephanie

        Sure. You can email us on info@amdeco.info 

        Looking forward to hearing from you. 

        Amma

  • Amma

    It was great to see you in Accra, Dr Harnet. I encourage all those who follow your amazing work to continue stepping forward. As a Business Consultant based in Ghana with a network of established potential partners to help Diasporans get started in business, I could't empathise more with your tone up here… it's frustrating, but more importantly a massive opportunity. I am so inspired by Dr Harnet and those who take that first step.  There's so much support on the ground and great success stories to draw encouragement from. This is indeed OUR time….Africa's Time. My advice, just come. See it for yourself. 

  • Neil Owusu Odame

    Hello Dr.Harnet ,

    What are the opportunities for those of us who wants to setup businesses to partner with outside or those who want to establish in Ghana?

  • Urshala Smith

    What are the cost and opportunities to setup businesses to partner with

  • Linda

    What an amazing article. I want to start manufacturing my own brand of clothes, shoes, accessories and homeware in Ghana. This is so helpful. Thank you!

  • Shantelle hawkins

    How can I start. I'm in the food/ agriculture industry. Exporting and Manufacturing I'm 100% ready to do.

     

    this was so inspiring. I read Forbes Africa. I know Yams is a 7 billion dollar industry. I'm ready…

  • Nicole Amegan

    Very expiring Dr Harnet!!! God bless your kind heart. Thank you so much for exposing us to these opportunities that we have been overlooking all these years and still complaining we have no money. I have been to Ghana countless time looking for opportunities but I guess I was looking the wrong way. I want to even come to Ghana next week!!!!! Keep up the wonderful work Dr Harnet. I will definitely be in touch. 

    • Dr. Harnet

      Great to hear the blog post was useful to you, Nicole, and thanks for the kind feedback and encouragement!

  • Shamso

    Hello Dr Harnet,

    I can't stop talking about you to my husband, I love Africa so much am always talking to my colleagues about it and inviting them to visit and I find that you are filling the missing gap in my ambition to make something of my self since I tried with no skills and knowledge and it was very costly. I wiĺ keep following you keep up the good work I didn't know there people like you who exists, thanks

    • admin

      You are most welcome. Thank you for your support and kind words.

  • Rachal Galler

    A powerful share, I simply given this onto a colleague who was doing just a little evaluation on this. And he the truth is bought me breakfast as a result of I discovered it for him.. smile. So let me reword that: Thnx for the deal with! But yeah Thnkx for spending the time to debate this, I feel strongly about it and love reading extra on this topic. If possible, as you become experience, would you mind updating your blog with extra particulars? It is highly useful for me. Large thumb up for this weblog put up!

    http://www.goldminer.club

    • admin

      Thank you for your kind words. It is greatly appreciated.

  • Rast Man

    Thanks Dr. Harnet for this wonderful work. I reside in the part of Ghana where yam, cassava, cashew nuts and some other agric produce are cultivated in abundance. But guess what, the tubers especially (ie yam and cassava) are left to spoil due to lack of processing and adequate storage facilities. It’s very pathetic. Ghana is really a good place for investors who want to go into adding value to Agric produce because the land is fertile and human resources readily available.

  • Rahel

    Thank you Dr. Harnet for the amazing insights and the wonderful work that you do. It’s always been my dream to go back to the Mother Land and start something. I am so over the moon I discovered you. Hopefully I will get a chance to meet you soon. I’m reading your blog and watching your videos. Keep up the good work. 🙂

    With love 🙂 Rahel

    • admin

      You are welcome, and thank you for your kind words.

  • Kesava reddy

    Hi dr harnet.i am from india.i want to start some startup business in ghana.could u help me in this.right now i am into construction. I am willing to do any business in ghana.

  • Paulo Cruz

    Great article and great initiative!
    Like in any country, one first starts to look at the capital, Accra in this case and then residually to secondary cities.

    Sekondi-Takoradi is currently undergoing a major transformation due to a multi billion investment in new Port infrastructure (deep water btw).
    This is the leading export port of Ghana, from where also the Oil & Gas activity is based.
    Together with this a major industrial park is being developed: WESTPARK (www.westparkghana).

    Another important point is that this is also considered by many, the entry point to West Africa.

    Keep up the great work Dr. Harnet!

    Best,
    Paulo Cruz
    http://www.euroactiv-investments.com
    +244 936 644 200 (Angola, Ghana, Mozambique and Portugal)

    • admin

      Thank you for your kind words Paulo, and the added information.

  • Yolanda Parker

    Hi,
    I was glad to come across your blog. I am also finishing my doctorate and hope to get started there?

  • SANKAH

    Please I’m a young pupils’ teacher GHc 3,000 and I a simple business to do with the money and I wish for special business ideas on the type of business to be set with such a business.
    Thank you, Dr.

  • Emmanuel Mantey

    Hi Dr.,
    I was really glad to see a good adviser like you and your blog really encourage me alot and i am well determine to start with my own business Dr., also I would be glad if you can help me to know the capital needed to start with cocoa planting and what plot of land will be more suitable for the business. Hope to hear for you soon Dr…

  • Bijou Adade

    Dear Dr. Harnet, thanks for your thought provoking article which was of great and high importance. I very much appreciate good work you are doing and the revelations you have given us.
    Tough and rough that it may sound, I believe there was no other way as it is annoying.
    I am a local who would like to start a food processing business but would want a partner as I’ll not be able to do it all alone financially. Could you please help with any links?
    Thanks

  • Philip

    Hi Dr. i thank God for someone like u to come to Africa and start this wonderful thing your doing here.am about to start rice fram in less then a month and i would be happy if u help me out with this,thank u.

  • Unlimitada Investments

    This is an eye opening article. Lovely piece of literature. Enjoyed reading.

    We are producers of raw materials and end up not affording through finished products themselves.
    I am into agricultural commodity trading. My buyers produce cooking oilb something I am proud of.

    On the other hand,high interest rates and a lot of requirements from financial institutions is what holds us back from establishingredients factories. If only we were not charged exorbitant interest rates in my country,I would have teamed up with friends to start something. Nevertheless, we are working on something. Keep on moving.

    Thanks for the insight

    Regards

  • Dorcas

    Your article is truly motivating and inspiring. I am a young girl who is focused on starting a business. Would love if you can be my mentor and couch.. Keep the good work.

  • Mavis Ntow Djan

    Hello Dr, Harnet ,
    Thanx for enlightening us on how we can start our own businesses with little capital using the raw materials around us .
    Now I need your assistance , I have a start up capital of about $20,000 and I’m confused whether to go into imports, or production . Could you pls render me some assistance ?

  • Seth

    Thanks for the insightful piece … I am very determine to be an entrepreneur I have devoted most of my time for the past year interning in crop production, poultry farming and fish farming after acquiring all the needed skills and knowledge I meet the big barrier (CAPITAL) I am trying hard to start but how to raise fund to add what I have is a big problem. What is the best approach to solve my problem. Your suggestions and comment are welcome. Sethtsatsu0@gmail.com call/watsapp is +233242681807

  • Love

    Hi, thanks so much for this. It has really helped in opening my mind to some businesses that can be done here in Ghana. I am a student and we have be3n given a group assignment. Which actually led me here. The question is that we should advise a friend who lives outside the country on the business opportunities we have here on Ghana. Reqding your article has highlighted a lot of things that we have ignored and i would like to mention in my report. Please could you give any other pointers, would be so grateful. Thank you once again

  • Robert

    Dear Dr. Harnet,

    I am a young man and have started my Estate Development business. In fact it has gotten to a point that I am getting confuse. I have started it small with the little that I have but it is not moving on. I need help in finance and advice.

  • Abigail

    Hi Dr. Harnet,

    Am a Ghanaian and lives in Ghana.Thanks a lot for your advise, am very much grateful because i have been wondering how to start a business of my own. Because of that i have always been searching for information online, i really want to get in touch with you personally. There are a list of business i want to start but how to go about it is my problem. Please any advise.

    Thank you

    Abigail

  • Bismark

    Hi Dr.
    I have a medium scale plastic recycling and poly bags production company. Things are not going well as I expected it to be. I need help on how to succeed. After so many years of living in Europe I thought it was wise to return home and assist with the waste problems facing Accra. Huge investment but no success. Please, help me out.

    Thank you.
    Bismark

  • Rose

    Hello Dr,
    I am a new entrepreneur an want to find out how and where I can export some of these ideas you have given me outside the borders of Ghana. Can you please give me places and people I can contact to enable me be in active business?
    Thank you

    Regards

  • Esther Akonnor

    Dr. Harriet please I’m from Ghana and I want to start export of shea butter and cashew. Can you help me get companies I can submit my proposal to.

    • admin

      Hi Esther,

      I am Crystal, the Operations Manager.

      Presently, we do not have a program in place where we help Export start ups. Our importing program requires that you be licensed, certified locally and internationally, and experienced in exporting to join.

      I hope this helps.

  • Boadu Martin

    I am martins living in Gg kumasi is there any business opportunity for me to start my own’

  • DAMILOLA JACKSON

    Hi Dr. Harnet, I am Nigeria lives in Nigeria but am interest to come Ghana to do business and I want do sustainable business. I need you professional advise
    Thanks

  • Ram

    it’s really a extraordinary message that you have read and learn each things in Ghana it’s like boost up the energy,Through this Really am interested to make one product in Ghana,
    Also i like to teach Ghana people to cultivate Rice&Vegetables&Fruits in Natural Way with full of organic method,Without using any chemical,we can take good yield,This method of farming it gives more tasty and the export order will get raise and we get the good price too,
    My plan is to give for Ghana “Natural way of Farming and Teach this method to all people And wanna make my own product in Ghana,
    So can you guide me please?

  • William

    Hi, am William living in Vienna and I want to start a business in Ghana. I need an advice from you how to go about it.

  • Frederick boakye

    Hello Dr Harnet, i am Frederick, a recent university graduate from Ghana and living in Ghana. I am looking forward to start a business consulting firm targeting young entrepreneurs and start ups in my country and possibly take my services beyond Ghana.starting a business in Ghana as a young entrepreneur can be frustrating and overwhelming at times. Kindly be my guide as i journey through this era of my life.
    Thank You

    • admin

      Dear Frederick,

      I hope all is well!

      I am Crystal the Operations Manager at Africa Business Jumpstart.

      It is great to see your Africa business ambitions and we would like to support you.

      Presently, due to the nature of Dr. Harnet’s programs and work, she is not in a position anymore to reply to all e-mail inquiries and to speak with everyone individually as she would like, as it would exceed her capacity. She is however reading each message, and will revert if her capacity allows to do so.

      In the meanwhile, I would like to make some suggestions to assist you:
      1. Join Dr. Harnet’s e-mail list. Once you are in her e-mail list you will be able to follow and enrol in all Africa business group programs she is offering.
      To join Dr. Harnet’s mailing list for free simply go to her website http://www.africajumpstart.com and either sign up at the top of the page for her 3-part audio training for the Diaspora (if you are Diaspora) or go to the bottom of the home page and sign up to her newsletter. Both are free.

      I also encourage you to read through the section on our website that reads ‘GET STARTED’ where Dr. Harnet will give you some great action tips that you can start now.

  • Janet

    Hello , am Jane from Ghana and I want to export to Kenya…How do i go about it?…Thank you

  • Lord Danielz

    Hi Dr. Harnet,
    My name is Lord Danielz from Ghana. my question is, how lucrative is transport business in Africa and how is it done. Thank you.

  • Joe

    Hello Dr. Harnet,

    I am a US born Chemical Engineer and have worked in R&D, Engineering, and Operations in Food and Beverage companies for the last 15 years. I would love the opportunity to invest in Africa and open a food factory. Any ideas of start up capital required and any helpful government agencies I can contact?

    • admin

      Hi Joe,

      I am Crystal, the Operations Managerat Africa Bsiness Jumpstart.

      The program that is best suited for you would be our Online Business Mission.This program will cover how to do business specifically in Ghana, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania. We will launch this program in 2020, so I implore you to sign up for the notifications so you can get in early. You may do so here: https://drharnet.mykajabi.com/online-africa-biz-missions-opt-in

  • Boakye Boateng

    Thanks Dr Harnet, I’ll be looking forward to it.

  • Bongi Mhlongo

    HelloDr Harnet
    I’m interested in doing business in Ghana, I manufacturing kids clothes and leather products. May you please advice me as too how do I penetrate the Ghana market

  • SOUNDELE KONAN GNOLI CLEMENT

    HI

    I’m from COTE D’IVOIRE , I find your business ideas very interesting

    I would like to export medicinal plants, but I admit that I have no idea about import export , could you help meI ?

  • GILBERT YEGOE

    Good morning Dr. Garnet. I am happy to have come across your stuffs online. I am a teacher in one of the schools in Ghana. I surfing through the net to find an alternative business to support myself since the salary is not enough, I chanced on your site. I will be very grateful if you could assist me to setup a profitable small scale business here in Bortianor a suburb of Accra( Near the coast of Accra).
    I count on your benevolent support.

  • Robert

    I will like to do cornflakes from corn. How do I start and market.

  • Kingsley Dzirasah

    Greetings Dr. Harnet
    My name is Kingsley and I am a Ghanaian. I desire to start my own business here in Ghana but I don’t know how and even the kind of business to go into.
    I love the article you wrote and I want you help help me with ideas

    Best Regards

  • Joshua BUABENG

    I’m a graduate with an accounting background. I’ve worked in a financial sector as recoveries and accounts personnel for 7 years, I’ve also worked in the retail sector for 2 years.

    I have a capital of GHS 8,000.00, and I’m just wandering where to invest and be a boss on my own. I’ve planned quitting job by November 2020.

  • Joseph Owusu Febry

    Hello Dr. Harnet, i am license plate manufacturer in Ghana.
    As I was seated in my living room this afternoon during this pandemic I happen to stumble on this article as I searched for the name for a business that’s worth a million cedis. It’ was really an eye opener read. Thank you for these nuggets. And Kindly send us your next summit or workshop and I will be more than glad to be present. Thank you

  • Albert

    I want to start a business in Ghana so I need your directives

  • Vijay bagade

    Hello
    Dr. Harnet
    Hope you are doing well there when reading this email.
    I will pray to God that every thing will be fine at your end in this current situation of COVID-19.
    My name is vijay bagade and i am from India.
    By profession i am civil engineer and did my master in CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT AND ECONOMICS from LONDON.
    I am mainly interested to do business in GHANA in renewable energy sector and waste management sector apart from agricultural.
    is there any way to join GHANA ??

    with warm regards
    vijay bagde

    • admin

      Dear Vijay,

      I hope all is well.

      Presently, our Mission trips for this year have been put on pause. Please stay tuned for updates on our 2021 schedule.

  • Vinnie Kumar

    Hey i am a businessman in Australia and my wife is from Accra.
    I have been to Ghana several times and soul searching to start-up a business there as i see a lot of opportunity there.
    Please get back to me so that we can converse more in detail and find an opportunity for the future.
    many thanks
    vinnie kumar

  • Paul

    I am intrigued by your research. I am a Ghanaian American and it is one of my future goals to start a business there, but you know it’s hard to think through when you are not living there, plus how how to raise funds to start. Recently I hear chicken farming is lucrative.
    So, how do I start in my own small way?

    Much blessings

  • Ricky Butler

    I’m interested in moving to Ghana and starting a business and using only local people as employees. I’m a retired U.S. citizen with an income of 900 USD to start with monthly. What could you suggest.

  • admin
  • Emmanuel

    I’m 24 years of age, my ambition is to setup food processing in Ghana but the capital to do that is very low, but l know oneday my dream will come through.Also thank you for the guide lines you just giving to us, l will keep following you on the media.

  • Nuanah David

    Is a nice idea for we Africans I wish to be a member of your opportunity way thanks

  • Samuel Asempah

    Good evening Dr.Harnet , my name is Samuel Asempah from Oti region ghana , I’m energetic young man who owns almost 15 hectares of cocoa farm .
    Madam thank you so much for the strategic business decision i just learned from you . pls i’m facing some challenges on my farm currently and i will like to
    draw your attention to it for an advice and support . Basically i need a financial assistance to maintain and acquire more land to expend my farm to increase
    cocoa production in few years to come . thank you so much and i hope to hear from u soon .

  • Sellasi

    Thank you for this! It was very helpful. I live in the UK but I am a Ghanaian citizen. Funny enough the potato cutting you mention was an idea I had after seeing something really cool in London but not really sure the best way to work it out. I really enjoyed this post. Keep it up!

  • James Owens

    I would like to learn more about how you help people from the US invest in businesses particularly in Ghana and Liberia. I have included my email address above.

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