Ghana’s ambition to build globally competitive local enterprises is being constrained by an unpredictable and often opaque relationship between government and the private sector, a concern that dominated discussions at the Kwahu Business Forum.
Without consistent policy signals, transparent processes and deliberate support for credible indigenous firms, efforts to scale Ghanaian businesses into regional and continental champions risk stalling.
Speaking at the forum, Executive Chairman of KGL Group, Mr. Alex Apau Dadey, said Ghana’s ambition to produce large-scale African business champions would require a deliberate shift in how the state engages domestic enterprises, particularly those operating in strategic sectors.
He said support for local firms should not be reduced to political convenience or short-term transactional arrangements, but should instead be anchored in “genuine partnership,” “strategic investment,” and an environment that allows credible businesses to grow and reinvest with confidence.
According to him, too many public-private arrangements across the continent have failed to deliver broad-based value because they are driven more by extraction than service delivery. He cautioned that not every public-private partnership is a real partnership, arguing that some are merely “private profit wrapped in public language.”
Dadey said a meaningful partnership between the state and private enterprise must produce “measurable value,” “improved service delivery,” “sustainable revenue,” and “public confidence,” adding that anything short of these outcomes risks undermining both trust and development.
He said the central question for businesses working with government should not be “how much can we take,” but rather “how much value can we create together,” describing that distinction as the line between a contractor and a corporate citizen.
The KGL Group Chairman also urged political leaders to create a more stable business climate for local firms by reducing what he described as “policy inconsistency,” “regulatory unpredictability,” “delayed payments,” and “selective enforcement.”
He said no serious country can build national corporate champions by exhausting its own entrepreneurs, especially at a time when Ghana needs stronger domestic enterprises to drive employment, supplier networks, revenue generation, and broader economic confidence.
In his view, support for indigenous firms should be based on “fairness,” “predictability,” “transparency,” and respect for value creation rather than preferential treatment or politically motivated patronage.
Dadey argued that when serious Ghanaian businesses succeed, the benefits extend beyond owners and shareholders to workers, suppliers, families, communities, and the state through expanded tax revenue
