Although Ghana has made some progress in the ease of doing business in the country, there is still more to do, especially in the area of business registration when compared to some its peers in Sub-Saharan Africa.
A new report has revealed that if a business owner or entrepreneur wanted to register a business in Rwanda today, the person could complete the process in just three days.
But if you tried the same in Ghana, you might be waiting close to two months before your registration is done.
This striking contrast is captured in the World Bank’s latest Africa Pulse report, which ranks Rwanda as the best performer in business registration efficiency across 50 countries surveyed. The East African nation, which digitized its entire business registration system in 2014, now averages only three days to process a new business.
In comparison, Ghana takes 57 days for local businesses and 67 days for foreign-owned ones.
For many young entrepreneurs in Ghana, this means they are faced with long queues at the Registrar-General’s Department, repeated document submissions, and delays in approvals.
The report highlights how Rwanda’s digital transformation has made it a model for the region. Since moving its business registration system online, the country has eliminated most face-to-face interactions and paperwork.
Entrepreneurs can now register, pay fees, and receive certificates electronically, cutting down both time and corruption risks.
“Rwanda’s transition to online business registration in 2014 had a significant impact on business registration. New data from the World Bank’s Business Ready (B-READY) surveys in 50 countries rank Rwanda as the best performer on the duration of business registration, averaging 3 days, followed by Togo, at 6 days. In Ghana, however, it takes on average 57 and 67 days, respectively, for prospective domestic and foreign entrepreneurs to register a business,” parts of the report read.
According to the World Bank, adopting technology in government-to-business interactions, such as business registration, land documentation, trade facilitation, and tax payments, can significantly enhance efficiency and transparency.
“Public sector adoption of digital technologies can increase efficiency and governance of government-to-business services, such as business and land registration, trade facilitation, and tax payments, further improving the business environment,” the report recommended.
Analysts and the business community admit that Ghana’s delay in automating these systems is hurting competitiveness.
The implications go beyond mere paperwork. A long and complex registration process means many businesses remain informal and unable to access credit, pay taxes properly, or scale up operations. This weakens the broader economy.
Rwanda’s experience shows what is possible when political will meets smart digital policy. The country’s online registration platform is integrated with tax, land, and social security systems, which should be a lesson to all of us.
