BY GRACE ZIGAH
Ghana’s business community is mounting pressure on the government to translate the country’s improving economic conditions into tangible relief for traders, manufacturers and investors as Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson prepares to present the 2027 Budget.
With economic stability gradually improving, business leaders say the next major test for the government is whether the recovery will reduce the cost of doing business, strengthen local industries and create a more competitive environment for private-sector growth.
The Ghana Union of Traders’ Associations (GUTA), the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI) and the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) have outlined key demands they expect the Finance Minister to address when he presents the 2027 Budget Statement and Economic Policy to Parliament on November 12, 2026.
Their concerns range from delays in clearing goods at the ports and the burden of business taxes to what they describe as inadequate incentives for local manufacturers competing against cheaper imported products.
The 2027 Budget, themed “The New Economy,” is expected to set out government’s economic priorities, including a proposed $10 billion New Economy Programme covering the period 2027 to 2030.
The four-year initiative is intended to expand domestic production, promote local processing and value addition, support Ghanaian businesses, increase exports and create employment opportunities.
Government is also expected to maintain fiscal discipline, strengthen debt management, sustain price stability, build external reserves and deepen the capital market.
However, organised business groups are making it clear that macroeconomic improvements alone will not be enough if companies continue to struggle with high operating costs and regulatory bottlenecks.
GUTA Demands Urgent Action on Port Delays
The President of GUTA, Clement Boateng, wants the Finance Minister to prioritise delays in clearing imported goods at Ghana’s ports, warning that prolonged verification procedures are imposing additional financial burdens on traders.
He explained that some importers are forced to wait two or three days for responses from overseas parent companies before their containers can be released.
According to him, the delays are costly because containers remain at the ports while importers continue to incur charges, increasing the overall cost of bringing goods into the country.
Boateng is therefore calling for reforms to simplify the clearance process and reduce the technical difficulties confronting traders.
“I expect the Finance Minister to make pronouncements on the way forward on the traffic congestion. Sometimes, you have to wait two or three days for a response from the parent company outside before your container can be released. Those days that your container sits at the port are not free. You have to pay. We also want the flat rate to be applied to us to take away some of the technicalities and difficulties our people are going through,” he said.
GUTA believes that addressing the bottlenecks would help reduce unnecessary port-related expenses and improve the efficiency of import and distribution activities.
Chamber of Commerce Pushes for More Tax Cuts
The President of the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Nana Agyenim Boateng, is also asking government to consider additional tax reductions to ease the financial pressure on businesses.
Although he acknowledged the improvement in economic conditions and appreciated government’s interventions, he argued that the private sector still needs further relief to expand operations and create jobs.
He said the gains recorded in the economy should provide an opportunity for government to review some existing taxes and consider scrapping those that continue to burden businesses.
“I believe we have had some windfall, which has been very good for business, and we are grateful to the government. However, as a businessman, I am like Oliver Twist; I will always ask for more. If there is a way government can scrap some of the taxes, it will be welcome,” he stated.
The Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the Association of Ghana Industries, Tsonam Akpeloo, has raised concerns about the competitiveness of local manufacturers, particularly following the withdrawal of the VAT exemption for locally assembled vehicles.
He warned that the policy change could undermine the operations of vehicle assembly companies in Ghana and discourage potential investors from establishing manufacturing facilities in the country.
Akpeloo argued that local manufacturers require deliberate government incentives to compete with cheaper imported finished products, especially in industries where production costs remain high.
He also pointed to competition from neighbouring Nigeria, warning that Ghana risks becoming less attractive to vehicle manufacturers considering investment opportunities in the West African market.
“We are at the verge of losing all of them,” he warned, expressing concern about the potential consequences for the country’s vehicle assembly industry.
The AGI representative is therefore calling for policies that protect local production, encourage investment and ensure Ghanaian manufacturers are not placed at a disadvantage against imported alternatives.
