Transforming Business For Impact

Promoting a better enabling environment for Inclusive business (IB) and Inclusive Green Business (IGB)in Ghana.

IB/IGB related events

The list of IB related events already held is here Forthcoming meetings where IB/IGB could be a topic comprise

For Ghana

  • IB/IGB stakeholder workshops in July 2024. For more information on those 4 events see this summary note (please link to paper no 6 attached)
  • The 1st IB/IGB Forum for Ghana on 22 October 2024 
  • Impact Drives Return Business Coaching and Mentoring – Train the Trainers seminars: 21 October 2024, 14 November 2024, 21 November 2024
  • Seminar with government agencies on the IB/IGB initiative, 23 January 2025

For Africa

  • The SANKALP Africa 2025 summit on  25-27 February 2025 in Nairobi  
  • Africa CEO Forum, 12-13 May 2025, ABIJAN 

For other regions globally

Workshops and seminars

Impact drives return type of business coaching and mentoring (IDR-BCM). A series of three seminars on the IDR-BCM will be organized in October-November. 

  • The first seminar is for networks and selected business facilitators. It will give an overview on the IDR-BCM tool and discuss next steps forward to institutionalize this under the IDR-BCM committee. The I-DR-BCM sub-tool 1 on readiness assessment) will be presented. It will also discuss next steps forward on IDR-BCM certification. Participants will be the 4 members of the IDR-BCM; committee (i.e. the GHN, the ESO collaborative, the GCIC, and the GEA), as well as selected business facilitators interested in the IDR-BCM discussion, esp. GCYE, Growth Africa, Innohub, MSA, PWC, SEGh, SNV, and others. The meeting will be held on Monday 21 October 2024, 14:00-16:00 hs in i-Space Foundation (No 30, 2nd Nana Kanton Street, off El Shaddai Lane, Ajiringanor, East Legon, Accra). The event is jointly organized by GIZ and the Ghana Hubs Network.
  • The second seminar will discuss IDR-BCM tools 2+3 for Inclusive Business type of companies. Participants will be business facilitators as well as the 4 members of the accreditation committee.  To connect to the online meeting on Thursday 21 October (with a focus on the transformation tool for Inclusive Businesses) you can click here.
  • To connect to the third seminar – also online – on the IDR-BCM subtool 2 and 3 for Inclusive Green Businesses, please click here (please link to this:  online meeting will be on 14 November 2024 between 14:00-16:00 under this link.https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86543331355?pwd=gFyFiTlvKZ1DXqBfEihlmMEqGjUw1y.1, Meeting-ID: 865 4333 1355, access code: 508869)

About AGI

Incorporated in 1958, the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI is the leading voice of the private sector in Ghana. The business association has more than 1,200 registered business members from across all regions in Ghana and representing all sectors. About 25% of members are medium and large-scale industries (ca 300 companies) while the remaining belong to the micro and small-scale category. AGI is providing its members 

  • (a) advocacy and lobbying, 
  • (b) business information and market research,
  • (c) policy forums, seminars, workshops and network events, 
  • (d)  technical and management training as well as business coaching and mentoring,
  • (e) trade promotion and industrial exhibitions,
  • (f) facilitation of industry partnerships,
  • (g) and help in receiving financial packages.

AGI works closely with other business associations such as the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI) ,  the Ghana Chamber of Young Entrepreneurs (GCYE) ,   the Chamber of Agrobusinesses in Ghana (CAG) , among others. It is the key private sector association discussing with the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI)  on industry and trade policies. AGI also sits in the Board of the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA). 

In July 2024, AGI engaged into as Memorandum of Agreement with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ)  to help institutionalize the IB/IGB initiative, do the first IB/IGB accreditation and award; prepare further advocacy work, and promote the IOB/IGB agenda in discussions with the government and other business associations. 

AGI was proposed as  chair of the Secretariat coordinating the IB/IGB initiative, with MoTI as co-chair. Both are also chairing / co-chairing the accreditation committee. 

The focal point of championing IB/IGB in AGI is John Defor (+233-243-645088)  the director of Policy and Research and his colleague Theophilus A. Mensah (tamensah@agighana.org; +233-243-765862), both guided under the leadership of the CEO of AGI, Mr. Seth Twum-Akwaboah, CEO of AGI.

IB/IGB in GIZ

The German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ)   the nodal agency for the bilateral technical cooperation of the government of Germany. 

German development cooperation with Ghana comprises technical (implemented .by GIZ) and financial cooperation (implemented by KfW) in the areas of

  • (a) rural development,
  • (b) social development,
  • (c) governance and democracy,
  • (d) environment and climate change, and (e  economic development and employment.

Two major GIZ programs in Ghana  are relevant for the IB/IGB discussion, namely the Private and Financial Sector Development program (PFS) (please link to ) and the agrobusiness development program (Agribiz) 

The IB/IGB landscape study was developed as an output of the PFS program. The PFS and Agribiz projects will be redesigned in 2025 and a more systematic emphasis on IB/IGB related results is in discussion. The coordinator for the IB/IGB agenda in PFS is Dr. Christian Jahn (head of the PFS program; christian.jahn@giz.de), the focal point for the study is Eyram Kukubor  (eyram.kukubor@giz.dew) and other GIZ colleague involved in the discussion are Christine Manford and Benjamin Attigah. 

The IB/IGB landscape study was developed by a team of local consultants under CDC Consult , led by Babilo Mahama (+233-244-6830429),  managed by Nana Yaw Amponsah Boadu (nanayaw@cdcconsult.org, +233-244-056405), and supported for the company work by Juanita Djoleto and Lord-Lucas Bishop Vodzi. The international consultant was Dr. Armin Bauer (mail@armin-bauer.com +49-174-8392569).

Targeting IB+IGB in partner stakeholder programs

The proposed IB/IGB was discussed with many interested stakeholders who shared interest contributing to and participating in further program implementation. Some are mentioned here

  • Government Agencies: Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA), Ghana Investment Promotion Center (GIPC), Ghana Incentive Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Landing (GIRSAL), Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MoFEP), Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP), Ministry of Employment and Labor (MoEL), Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI), Ghana National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program (NIEP).
  • Business associations such as: Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Chamber of Agrobusinesses in Ghana (CAG), European Chamber of Commerce (EuroCham), Ghana Association of Financial Service Providers (GAFSP), Ghana Association of Women Entrepreneurs (GAWE), Ghana Chamber of Young Entrepreneurs (GCYE), Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industries (GNCCI), Private Enterprise Federation (PEF), Social Enterprise Ghana (SEGh).
  • Impact Investors such as:  Brighter Investment, Ci-Gaba Fund, Deal Source, Eco Bank, Fidelity Bank, Ghana Angels Investors Network (GAIN), Ghana Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (GVCPE), Impact Capital Advisors (ICA), Impact Investing Ghana (IIGh), International Finance Corporation (IFC), Mastercard Foundation, Mastercard Foundation, Mirepa Capital, Oasis Capital, PROPARCO, Savanna Impact Fund, United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), Venture Capital Trust Fund (VCTF), Wangara Capital and Wangara Green Ventures.
  • Business facilitators such as: AgDevCo, Enterprise Support Organizations (ESO collaborative, Ghana Climate Innovation, Ghana Hubs Network (GHN), Ghana Investment Support Program (GHISP), Growth Asia, IDH Trade, InnoHub, Mastercard Foundation, MBC Africa , MSR, PWC, Scale up Africa, SNV, Wan Hive.
  • Development partners such as: Development Bank (AfDB), Agence Française de Dévelopment (AfD), Canada International Development Agency (CIDA), European Commission development cooperation program (EC-EEAP), Expertise France, Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO / UK Aid), German Agency for Development Cooperation(GIZ), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), International Labor Office (ILO), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC), RVO-the Netherlands Enterprise Agency, United Nations Development Program (UNDP), United Nations Industrial Development Organization /UNIODO), United States Development Cooperation Program (USAID), World Bank, as well as
  • Many companies with real and potential IB/IGB business lines.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI) (please link to https://moti-gh.com/), being the nodal agency for industrial policy, and the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA) , being the nodal agency for small and medium enbter5prises development development are the key agencies in the government to directly cooperate with on IB/IGB promotion, apart from MoFEP, MoFA, and MESTI.

Further reading and literature

There is a large literature on Inclusive Business development globally, especially promoted by 

  • development partners such as
  •  the Agence Française de Dévelopment (AfD – Social and Inclusive Business program . 
  • the Asian Development Program Inclusive Business initiative (2011-2018) 
  • With $25 billion (25% of its investment portfolio) committed to inclusive businesses since 2005, the International Finance Organization (IFC) , is the  leading Inclusive Business investor globally. IFC also published a lot of very good knowledge products and has a large data base on IB companies with good information on what works and why. The IFC promotes IB as a “fundamental way for the private sector to help end poverty by 2030”.
  • the Business Call to Action ,   program was closed in 2022, but still has a lot of relevant information
  • the United Nations Economic and Social Cooperation program for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP)
  • The Inclusive Business Action Network (iBAN)   , a global program under GIZ established the biggest platform for information on IB companies, policies and tools. Unfortunately the further population of the platform was closed in end-2022.

Relevant literature references for the IB/IGB discussion in Ghana is in the Ghana IB/IGB landscape study.

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