The President of the Association of Ghana Startups, Solomon Adjei, has raised the alarm over the critical challenges facing the country’s startup ecosystem.
He called for urgent structural reforms, targeted policies, and financial support to foster entrepreneurship and scale innovation beyond Ghana’s borders.
Speaking in a frank assessment of the startup environment in Ghana, Mr. Adjei laid bare a catalogue of systemic problems that he believes continue to choke the growth of local startups despite the country’s strong entrepreneurial spirit and increasing youth-led innovation.
“This is Ghana, where if you want to get an office space, the first thing you do is to get that money for at least ten years. You need to pay at least ten years to get the basic office for rent. So it’s a challenge getting them”
Solomon Adjei, President of the Association of Ghana Startups
Mr Adjei cited the difficulty of securing affordable office space, describing a situation where startup founders are forced to make steep upfront payments before they can operate.
He pointed to infrastructural barriers and the prohibitive cost of doing business as the first major hurdle for budding entrepreneurs.
He further explained that the process of registering a business in Ghana remains needlessly bureaucratic and expensive.
Unlike global standards where registration can be completed within a day, Ghanaian entrepreneurs often endure long delays and resort to paying middlemen just to receive their registration certificates.
“There are a lot of taxes that you pay before you get operational – By the time you finish paying, your capital is gone and – it takes a lot of time to get these things done”
Solomon Adjei, President of the Association of Ghana Startups
Policy Vacuum
Despite the efforts of some agencies like the Ghana Enterprises Agency, Mr. Adjei insists that there is still no distinct policy architecture that defines and supports startups specifically.
“As a country, we don’t yet have a properly structured policy for startups”
Solomon Adjei, President of the Association of Ghana Startups
He drew a clear distinction between general entrepreneurship support and targeted startup policy.
He pointed out that many government frameworks lump all entrepreneurs together, without recognising the unique nature and ambitions of high-growth startups that aim to scale rapidly across borders.
“We have an entrepreneurship bill… but it’s more like a wholesale act. It supports all entrepreneurs in the young space as a whole”
Solomon Adjei, President of the Association of Ghana Startups
Mr. Adjei expressed concern that while other African countries have already passed Startup Acts based on the African Union’s continental policy guide, Ghana has failed to follow suit.
According to him, Tunisia, Kenya, and Nigeria have already implemented such laws, offering startups in those countries clear legal protection, incentives, and access to government-backed support.
He questioned Ghana’s failure to legislate a startup-specific framework despite its ambitions of being “Africa’s business gateway.”
“Ghana, we haven’t got a bill yet, Right? And we claim now we’re at the gateway to Africa. We don’t have a standard bill yet”
Solomon Adjei, President of the Association of Ghana Startups
No National Fund, No Scalability
Financing remains one of the most critical pain points for startups in Ghana and Mr. Adjei was categorical in his criticism of the absence of a national startup fund.
“We don’t have a properly structured national fund that supports startups in the ecosystem”
Solomon Adjei, President of the Association of Ghana Startups
He explained that without access to well-structured capital, many young entrepreneurs fail to scale their businesses beyond the ideation or pilot phase.
He added that while there are scattered funding options, none are coordinated at the national level to support startups in a sustainable, transparent, and inclusive way.
This gap, he argued, is one of the biggest obstacles to transforming startup ideas into scalable businesses that can employ Ghanaians and contribute significantly to GDP.
“You struggle back and forth ready to start something and when it comes to scaling up, you have an issue because there’s no national dedicated fund that you can tap into”
Solomon Adjei, President of the Association of Ghana Startups
Coherent National Strategy
The concerns raised by Mr. Adjei comes at a time when Ghana has renewed its pledge to promote youth innovation, digital transformation, and economic diversification.
However, without tailored policies, a dedicated startup bill, and a clear funding structure, stakeholders fear the government’s ambitions will not translate into impact.
Mr. Adjei stressed the importance of intentional policy design, implementation, and coordination across agencies to create a nurturing environment for startups.
He warned that unless deliberate steps are taken, the country risks being left behind in Africa’s fast-evolving innovation economy.
The Association of Ghana Startups has called on Parliament and the Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry to prioritise the passage of a Ghana Startup Act and establish a national startup fund as part of an urgent reform agenda to reposition Ghana as a true hub for innovation in Africa.
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