Mahama visits Nasdaq Stock Market, says Ghana is open for business 

President John Dramani Mahama has invited American businesses to deepen their investments in Ghana, highlighting opportunities in manufacturing, energy, technology and value addition as the country seeks to position itself as a production hub for the African market.

Addressing investors at the NASDAQ in New York on Wednesday, September 23, on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly, President Mahama said Ghana's macroeconomic turnaround and political stability provided a strong foundation for increased investment.

"Ghana therefore welcomes American investors. Power is stable in Ghana, I can assure you. Chevron, when you come, you'll find out.

"Ghana therefore welcomes American investment and technology in power generation, transmission, and distribution, in renewable energy and industrial energy solutions," he said.

AfCFTA opportunities

President Mahama urged American companies to look beyond Ghana's domestic market and consider the country as a strategic base for serving the wider African and global markets.

"For an investor, Ghana's domestic market is only one part of the opportunity. The African Continental Free Trade Area is bringing together a continental market of more than 1.4 billion people, and this secretariat is headquartered in Accra.

"And so a company that establishes production in Ghana should be thinking beyond our borders. It should look for opportunities across West Africa and the wider continent as implementation of the AfCFTA progresses. Do not look at Ghana's 34 million population only for what you can sell there. Look at Ghana for what you can produce and sell across Africa and to the world,” he stated.

He linked the investment opportunity to Ghana's expected assumption of the rotating chairmanship of the African Union in 2027.

"Ghana is also preparing to assume the chairmanship of the African Union, and we use that responsibility to support Africa's work on infrastructure industrialisation, regional integration, and implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area. Regional integration will also require roads, ports, reliable energy, digital connections, and efficient borders.

President Mahama said those areas presented opportunities for American companies with expertise in infrastructure, energy, technology and other sectors, adding that Ghana's role within the African Union could help advance an economic agenda focused on creating conditions for growth.

Focus on value addition

The President said Ghana's investment priorities had become more focused on retaining greater value from the country's natural and agricultural resources.

He noted that Ghana produces cocoa, gold, manganese and other commodities, while farmers cultivate cashew, shea, vegetables and grains, yet significant quantities of these products continue to leave the country in raw form.

At the same time, he said Ghana imports finished products that could potentially be produced domestically.

"This pattern must change if we are to create enough jobs and build stronger Ghanaian enterprises," he said.

President Mahama said Ghana's position as one of the world's leading cocoa producers created significant opportunities for investment in processing rather than continuing to rely heavily on the export of raw cocoa beans.

"Opportunities exist in cocoa processing, cashew, shea, horticulture, grains, poultry, livestock, and food manufacturing. Processing more of what our farmers produce in Ghana creates a market for farmers, work for processors, businesses for suppliers, transporters, and jobs along the value chain," he said.

He also identified technology as another area with potential for increased Ghana-US cooperation.

"Opportunities exist in digital infrastructure, data centres, artificial intelligence, financial technology, and other technology-enabled services," he added.

New phase of Ghana-US relations

President Mahama said Ghana and the United States had developed a strong bilateral relationship, with trade in goods and services reaching approximately $4.6 billion in 2025.

He also highlighted Ghana's participation in the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) for more than 2 decades.

"We value this relationship, including the development cooperation that has supported Ghana over the years. The next chapter of this relationship must play greater emphasis on trade and investment, technology, and productive enterprise," he said.

According to the President, American capital, technology and expertise could be combined with Ghanaian businesses and skills to produce goods and services for markets in Ghana, across Africa and internationally.

He therefore encouraged more American companies to establish production operations in Ghana, source from Ghanaian businesses and share technology and knowledge with local enterprises and workers.