Governments need to make business regulation more predictable and give companies greater certainty to invest, expand and create jobs, Senyo Hosi, Founder and Executive Chairman of Kleeve and Tove Ltd, has said.
Speaking at the 2026 Students & Young Professionals African Liberty Academy (SYPALA), Hosi said unstable rules and weak enforcement can discourage businesses from making long-term investment decisions.
He likened public policy to an economy’s operating system, saying businesses depend on it to function effectively.
“In too many countries that operating system is absolutely unstable,” Hosi said, citing frequent changes in rules, weak implementation, slow regulation and institutions vulnerable to political pressure.
For businesses considering expansion, such uncertainty can raise the cost and risk of investment. Hosi said entrepreneurs are more likely to commit capital when contracts are enforced, property rights are protected and regulations remain consistent.
“Capital is patient where rules are credible,” he said.
Hosi also called for a change in how regulators deal with businesses that breach rules, arguing that enforcement should not automatically result in the destruction of otherwise productive enterprises.
“Regulation must be not like a policing body waiting to punish error,” he said.
He stressed that this did not mean lowering regulatory standards or tolerating illegal conduct. Where violations can be corrected, however, he said regulators should work with businesses to bring them into compliance while preserving productive capacity.
The approach, he said, would allow governments to enforce standards while giving businesses an opportunity to restructure and continue operating.
Hosi cited a recent government intervention involving a company, in which he said a 12-month turnaround plan involving the business and relevant state institutions demonstrated that enforcement and enterprise recovery could be pursued together.
“This is the policy posture Africa needs,” he said, describing the approach as one that is “firm on standards” while remaining focused on growing businesses, protecting jobs and improving productivity.
The call comes as businesses across African markets face a range of other constraints, including expensive credit, unreliable power, weak logistics and fragmented markets. Hosi said regulatory uncertainty adds another layer of risk for companies already operating under difficult conditions.
For governments, his argument is therefore not for lighter regulation but more predictable regulation, rules that businesses can understand, plan around and comply with, backed by institutions that apply them consistently.
Hosi said such an environment would give private businesses greater confidence to invest and expand, helping build the productive capacity needed to support employment and sustained economic growth.
