The Minority Caucus in Parliament has proposed a comprehensive seven-point plan aimed at boosting indigenous businesses and addressing structural challenges confronting Ghana’s private sector.
The announcement was made at the Kwahu Business Forum 2026, where Jerry Ahmed Shaib, Second Deputy Minority Whip, delivered a speech on behalf of the Minority Leader, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin.
The Minority stressed that Ghana’s economic future is closely tied to the strength of its private sector, particularly local enterprises, and called for deliberate efforts to create a more enabling business environment.
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“We are advocating for policy stability, predictable legislation, and an economic direction that reflects the realities on the ground,” the statement said.
The speech at the Kwahu Business Forum 2026 highlighted the deep challenges facing Ghanaian businesses, while offering a platform for policy direction and reform.
With the Minority’s strong proposals and commitment, attention now turns to how government and stakeholders will respond to ensure the sustainability and growth of indigenous enterprises.
raised significant difficulties faced by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), particularly in accessing affordable credit. Despite a benchmark lending rate of 10.70%, many SMEs face much higher borrowing costs due to additional charges and stringent collateral requirements.
“Between 60 and 80 percent of Ghana’s small businesses do not survive their first five years largely because they cannot access affordable credit,” the Minority Whip disclosed.
He noted that short loan tenures continue to hinder sectors such as manufacturing and agro-processing, where long-term investment is essential for growth.
The Minority also raised concerns about the cumulative tax burden on businesses, citing multiple levies including VAT, NHIL, and the GETFund Levy, which are imposed simultaneously. Combined with high utility costs, these taxes are said to be forcing many businesses to operate below capacity.
“The manufacturer is being squeezed from both ends: costs that the government will not reduce, and import competition that it cannot match,” he emphasised.
Concerns were also expressed about the implementation of the Publican Trade Solution at the ports, with the Minority describing the system as lacking transparency and fairness. Businesses, they argued, have faced inflated duty assessments without access to a clear and functional appeals process.
“This is not how a government that champions enterprise should treat its business community,” he added.
The Caucus further pointed to what it described as a growing consultation deficit in policy-making, revealing that engagements with key industry groups such as AGI and GUTA showed a pattern of limited stakeholder involvement before major policies are introduced.
“Policy is conceived, drafted, and announced, and industry is invited afterwards and told that constitutes consultation,” the Minority Whip noted.
To address these challenges, the Minority outlined a seven-point plan that includes introducing a statutory pre-legislative consultation framework, conducting a full assessment of the cumulative impact of taxes and levies, ensuring parliamentary scrutiny of AI-driven port assessment systems, reviewing utility tariff structures, investing in technical and vocational education, establishing quarterly engagement with business associations, and reforming SME financing to include longer-term credit and more flexible collateral requirements.
The Minority also called for stronger collaboration between government, financial institutions, and the private sector, urging banks and other financial players to design products tailored to the needs of Ghanaian entrepreneurs, especially the youth.
“We must bridge the gap between access to finance and entrepreneurial potential,” he said.
The seven-point plan proposed at the Kwahu Business Forum, according to the Minority, reflects its commitment to shaping a stable and predictable economic environment that allows indigenous businesses to grow and thrive.