Reigniting Connections: AmCham Ghana’s Networking Evening Sets the Tone for 2026

After a year-long pause in member-wide networking engagements, AmCham Ghana returned in style with a vibrant and well-attended Networking Evening—signaling a renewed commitment to fostering meaningful business connections and strengthening the Chamber’s community.

Held in the spirit of Ghana Month, the event brought together a dynamic mix of corporate leaders, entrepreneurs, and industry stakeholders, many adorned in rich Ghanaian fabrics and colors. The atmosphere was intentional—celebrating identity, while creating space for opportunity.

This event was particularly significant as it reflects a broader shift under the Chamber’s AmCham 2.0 agenda, anchored on delivering enhanced membership value, stronger advocacy, and elevated brand visibility.

 

Powered by Partnership: Spotlight on TopDog Ghana

A standout feature of the evening was its seamless execution, thanks to TopDog Ghana, one of AmCham Ghana’s newest members and the official event organizer.

TopDog Ghana brought creativity, precision, and a deep understanding of the AmCham ecosystem to the event, delivering an experience that was both professional and memorable. Their ability to curate an engaging networking environment underscores the value of leveraging member expertise within the Chamber.

As AmCham continues to expand its programming, partnerships like this will be central to delivering high-quality experiences for members.

 

More Than Networking: A Platform for Growth

Beyond the conversations and connections, the evening reinforced AmCham Ghana’s evolving role as a platform for influence and opportunity.

With over 100 U.S. and U.S.-affiliated companies operating in Ghana, the Chamber remains uniquely positioned to:

  • Facilitate strategic partnerships
  • Support trade and investment linkages
  • Amplify private sector voices through structured advocacy

The networking event served as a reminder that relationships remain at the heart of business success, and that intentional spaces like these are critical to unlocking new opportunities.

 

What’s Next: A Year of Purposeful Engagement

This event marks the beginning of a more active and deliberate programming calendar for 2026. Members can look forward to:

  • Regular networking engagements
  • Sector-focused policy dialogues
  • U.S.–Ghana Commercial Dialogue series with key ministries
  • Trade and investment facilitation initiatives
  • High-level forums and the flagship Thanksgiving Dinner & Awards

Each engagement is designed not just to convene, but to create tangible value for members.

 

A Community in Motion

As the Chamber continues to grow, so does its responsibility to connect, to advocate, and to lead.

The success of this networking evening is a testament to what is possible when members show up, engage, and collaborate.

At AmCham Ghana, we are building more than a network; we are building a community of influence, partnership, and shared progress.

 

Strengthening Global Connectivity: AmCham Ghana Engages United Airlines on Market Opportunities and Strategic Collaboration

As Ghana continues to position itself as a key gateway for trade and investment in West Africa, air connectivity remains a vital pillar of economic growth and business expansion.

In line with this, AmCham Ghana recently hosted a strategic engagement with United Airlines, bringing together leadership to explore opportunities to strengthen U.S.–Ghana commercial linkages and address operational realities within the aviation ecosystem.

The meeting was led by AmCham Ghana CEO, Doris Kafui Afanyedey, who underscored the Chamber’s commitment to facilitating meaningful partnerships that drive investment, trade, and connectivity.

 

Creating Platforms for Strategic Engagement

A key highlight of the engagement was the opportunity for AmCham Ghana members to connect directly with senior leadership from United Airlines, including:

This engagement provided a valuable platform not only to introduce United Airlines’ leadership to the AmCham community, but also to deepen relationships with key stakeholders shaping transatlantic travel and trade.

 

A Shared Commitment to Market Growth

Discussions reflected a shared optimism about Ghana’s growing importance within United Airlines’ Africa strategy, particularly as demand for business, tourism, and diaspora travel between Ghana and the United States continues to expand.

CEO Doris Afanyedey emphasized AmCham Ghana’s role as a bridge between global companies and the local business environment, ensuring that international partners are well-positioned to navigate opportunities and challenges effectively.

 

Addressing Operational Realities in a Dynamic Environment

The dialogue also highlighted the evolving nature of the aviation and business landscape, including:

  • Regulatory and infrastructure considerations
  • Market dynamics affecting travel demand
  • Broader global policy shifts impacting mobility and trade

AmCham Ghana reaffirmed its commitment to working collaboratively with stakeholders to facilitate constructive dialogue, support policy clarity, and advocate for an enabling environment for business operations.

 

Driving Value Through Partnership

This engagement forms part of AmCham Ghana’s broader strategy to deliver high-value, member-driven programming that goes beyond networking to create real business impact.

It also aligns with the Chamber’s efforts to strengthen its role in:

  • Trade and investment facilitation
  • Strategic stakeholder engagement
  • Supporting new and existing U.S. businesses operating in Ghana

 

Looking Ahead: Building Stronger Connections

As Ghana continues to attract global investment and expand its role in regional trade, partnerships with leading international carriers like United Airlines will remain essential.AmCham Ghana will continue to create platforms that bring together business leaders, policymakers, and global partners, ensuring that connectivity translates into opportunity, growth, and shared prosperity.

 

A Chamber Driving Connection and Impact

Through engagements like this, AmCham Ghana continues to demonstrate its evolving role as a convener, connector, and catalyst for business success.

With strong leadership, strategic partnerships, and an active membership base, the Chamber remains committed to shaping a more connected and competitive business environment in Ghana.

AmCham Ghana, Energy, Extractive & Infrastructure Sector Committee Charts 2026 Advocacy Priorities

AmCham Ghana’s Energy Extractive & Infrastructure Sector Committee held its inaugural 2026 meeting this week, bringing together leaders from U.S. companies operating across Ghana’s mining, oil and gas, power generation, and infrastructure sectors to identify critical policy challenges and establish a coordinated advocacy framework for the year ahead. The session convened representatives from major U.S. companies, including Halliburton, Schlumberger, Newmont Ghana, General Electric, Cummins, Caterpillar, and other key players in Ghana’s extractive and energy sectors. The discussion focused on regulatory uncertainty, fiscal policy changes, and the importance of maintaining Ghana’s competitive position as West Africa’s premier investment destination in an increasingly competitive regional landscape.

Committee members from the mining sector raised pressing concerns affecting long-term investment decisions and operational sustainability. The reduction of mining lease durations from 30 years to 15 years emerged as a critical issue, with members noting that this change could fundamentally undermine the economics of capital-intensive mining projects that require decades to achieve return on investment. The multi-billion–dollar investments required for modern mining operations, from exploration through production, demand certainty over extended timeframes to justify capital deployment. Additionally, the shift from encouraging local participation to mandating local ownership raises anxieties about investment certainty for large-scale operations operators. Members emphasized that while capacity building and local participation remain important goals, ownership transfers risk discouraging new foreign direct investment at a time when Ghana needs to maintain its competitive edge in attracting mining capital.

The oil and gas sector representatives highlighted a different but equally concerning set of challenges affecting upstream investment. Members noted that Ghana has experienced minimal new exploration investment over the past five years, a troubling trend for a sector that requires continuous capital inflows to maintain production levels. Ongoing fiscal regime reviews, the introduction of a 1% local content levy on capital expenditure, and Bank of Ghana foreign exchange restrictions are creating compounding uncertainty at precisely the moment when the sector needs stability to attract new capital for both offshore and emerging onshore opportunities. Power sector representatives, meanwhile, emphasized the critical importance of maintaining the cash waterfall payment discipline recently implemented,following years of payment challenges that created arrears exceeding $2 billion. Without sustained commitment to this reformed payment structure, the sector risks returning to crisis conditions that undermine investment in generation capacity and grid infrastructure. For the Power industry, discussions centered around distribution losses of 20-30% across the power system, which drive up electricity costs and make Ghana less competitive than our neighbours for industrial operations that require reliable, affordable power.

Beyond these sector-specific challenges, committee members identified cross-cutting issues affecting the entire business environment. A recurring theme throughout the discussion was the challenge of inadequate private sector consultation before policies advance to Parliament, with members noting that by the time legislation is passed, opportunities for meaningful engagement and input have often closed, requiring expensive and time-consuming retroactive advocacy efforts.

Engagements with the Ghana Revenue Authority also featured prominently, with members highlighting opportunities to strengthen alignment around tax assessment processes furtherand enhance predictability for businesses. There was a shared recognition of the importance of fostering a more collaborative and solutions-oriented relationship with one of the government’s key revenue institutions.

The Committee therefore agreed to prioritize the establishment of regular dialogue mechanisms with GRA leadership, with an initial engagement scheduled for April 2026, as a constructive step toward deepening mutual understanding and developing more efficient pathways for addressing tax-related matters.

In response to these challenges, the Committee agreed on a multi-track advocacy approach combining direct government engagement, close coordination with the U.S. Embassy Foreign Commercial Service, and strategic communication to amplify the economic contributions of U.S. companies operating in Ghana. Members committed to providing comprehensive data on taxes paid, employment numbers, and corporate social responsibility contributions to strengthen data-driven advocacy efforts that demonstrate the tangible benefits these companies bring to Ghana’s economy. Key engagement priorities include scheduled meetings with the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, the Petroleum Commission, the Minerals Commission, and the Ministry of Energy, while the Committee will also monitor the BRIG portal for draft policies affecting member operations and coordinate rapid responses when time-sensitive issues emerge. Representatives from the U.S. Embassy Foreign Commercial Service participated in the meeting and emphasized the importance of keeping Embassy teams informed of emerging policy issues in real-time, committing to incorporate Committee priorities into diplomatic engagement talking points and leverage high-profile opportunities such as U.S. Chamber of Commerce visits and bilateral commercial dialogues to amplify advocacy messages.

The Committee elected John Swatson from Baker Hughes as Chair and Eric Mabenge from Sewia Mining as a Vice Chair representing the infrastructure sector to ensure balanced leadership across the committee’s diverse membership. Quarterly meetings have been scheduled, with the next session set for May 19, 2026, and a WhatsApp group has been established to enable rapid information sharing between formal meetings. As one of AmCham Ghana’s most active sector committees, the Energy, Extractive & Infrastructure Sector Committee represents companies that collectively contribute billions of cedis annually in taxes, royalties, and levies while employing thousands of Ghanaian nationals across technical and leadership positions. The Committee’s advocacy work aims to ensure policies support continued U.S. investment while strengthening Ghana’s position as West Africa’s most attractive destination for extractive and energy sector investment, recognizing that regulatory certainty and collaborative public-private dialogue remain essential foundations for sustained economic growth and development.

AmCham Ghana Engages with Cummins Africa and Middle East Team to Explore Industrial Growth and Partnership Opportunities

In line with our commitment to deepening engagement with key member companies and strengthening U.S.–Ghana commercial partnerships, the American Chamber of Commerce, Ghana, recently hosted a strategic meeting with the leadership of Cummins Africa and the Middle East, led by Mr. Kweku Fin Winful, Executive Director for AME-DBU & Central.

The AmCham CEO, Doris Kafui Afanyedey, received the team as part of AmCham Ghana’s broader effort to better understand the evolving needs of its members while positioning the Chamber as a central platform for advocacy, business facilitation, and regional expansion.

Driving Member-Centric Engagement

During the discussions, Doris highlighted AmCham’s renewed focus on direct member engagement, ensuring that the Chamber’s initiatives are shaped by real business challenges and opportunities. This approach includes structured outreach to member companies and deeper collaboration across sectors to amplify impact.

A key highlight was the successful rollout of six sector committees, covering critical areas such as Energy, Extractive, and Infrastructure Sector Committee, in which Cummins belongs, and the impact on generating actionable insights, and identifying multiple industry concerns that are then consolidated for targeted policy engagement.

A central theme of the meeting was the opportunity to position Ghana as a gateway to West Africa, leveraging its stability, improving the business environment, and strategic location.

 

Expanding Advocacy & Business Support

Discussions explored how companies like Cummins can use Ghana as a base to serve the wider region, particularly in sectors such as mining, energy, logistics, and infrastructure. The conversation also underscored the importance of regional trade frameworks and supply chain efficiencies in unlocking this potential.

Both AmCham Ghana and Cummins reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening collaboration, particularly in:

· Sector-specific engagements and knowledge sharing

· Policy advocacy on key industry challenges

· Facilitating strategic connections across government and industry

· Supporting regional expansion strategies

AmCham Ghana Advances Private Sector Advocacy through Legal, Policy & Governance Committee

The American Chamber of Commerce, Ghana (AmCham Ghana) successfully convened the maiden meeting of its Legal, Policy & Governance (LPG) Sector Committee on Tuesday, 17th March 2026, marking another significant step in strengthening structured private sector advocacy in Ghana.

The meeting brought together leading representatives from Legal Firms, Human Capital Consulting Organizations, and Development Organizations sector institutions, and the U.S. Embassy, reinforcing the Chamber’s commitment to inclusive, multi-stakeholder dialogue

Regulatory Inefficiencies Remain a Pain Point

Participants flagged persistent bottlenecks in company registration, licensing, and tax administration, citing significant delays at the Office of the Registrar of Companies (ORC) and inconsistencies between the ORC and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA). These misalignments creating unnecessary friction for businesses trying to operate and grow.

Tax compliance emerged as a particularly complex challenge, especially for NGOs and project-based organizations. Ambiguities in activity classification often result in unexpected tax liabilities, placing added administrative and financial burdens on organizations. Members called for clearer guidelines and more proactive engagement with the GRA to reduce disputes and improve compliance outcomes.

Judicial System and Dispute Resolution Under Scrutiny

Concerns were raised about the declining effectiveness of commercial courts, with participants noting that limited judicial specialization in commercial matters has led to delays and inconsistent rulings, undermining business confidence. While alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms such as arbitration were recognized as viable solutions, challenges including high costs, limited standardization, and insufficient practitioner expertise continue to constrain their uptake.

Policy Development Needs Private Sector Input

Members called for more inclusive stakeholder consultation in the development of regulations and policy directives, observing that many policies are introduced with insufficient engagement, resulting in gaps between regulatory intent and practical implementation. Greater collaboration between regulators and the private sector was identified as essential to producing more effective, business-friendly policy outcomes.

The committee also stressed the importance of timely and accessible information. Recommendations included leveraging newsletters, email briefings, and digital platforms to keep members informed of policy changes and compliance updates as they happen.

The Road Ahead

AmCham Ghana reaffirmed its commitment to structured advocacy and deepened engagement with key institutions, including the GRA, ORC, and other regulatory bodies. Plans are underway to explore partnerships that support legal reform, capacity building, and improved dispute resolution mechanisms.

The session concluded with a call for stronger coordination among committee members and the nomination of leadership to guide the committee’s work. Quarterly engagements will continue to serve as a platform for identifying challenges, advancing solutions, and championing a more efficient and transparent business environment in Ghana.

AmCham Ghana Engages CIRIP on Corporate Recovery and Business Resilience

AmCham Ghana this week held a strategic discussion with the Corporate Insolvency and Restructuring Professionals (CIRIP), focusing on strengthening Ghana’s corporate recovery frameworks, legal processes, and long-term business sustainability.

The conversation centered on the evolution of Ghana’s insolvency and restructuring regime, particularly legislative reforms in recent years that have deliberately shifted the national approach away from liquidation toward business recovery and rehabilitation. CIRIP outlined its role in this space: deploying multidisciplinary teams of accountants, lawyers, and bankers to stabilize distressed companies and chart a path toward sustainable operations.

From Collapse to Recovery, How the Framework Works

Under Ghana’s current framework, companies facing financial distress can be granted temporary protection from creditor actions, creating a window for reorganization and restructuring. The intent is clear: preserve viable businesses, protect jobs, and sustain economic activity, rather than allowing recoverable enterprises to collapse under short-term pressure.

Key Gaps Are Holding Back Progress

Despite the framework’s promise, critical challenges remain. Chief among them is low awareness, too many businesses only seek restructuring support when financial distress has already reached an advanced, harder-to-reverse stage. Early intervention, participants agreed, dramatically improves recovery outcomes and reduces the risk of job losses and broader economic fallout.

The absence of dedicated recovery financing is another significant constraint. Distressed companies often lack the capital needed to stabilize operations during restructuring, limiting the effectiveness of even well-structured interventions.

Institutional capacity gaps also persist. Delays in court processes, limited judicial specialization in restructuring matters, and the ongoing need for practitioner training continue to slow case resolution and reduce confidence in the system. Progress has been made, but further investment in capacity building and system efficiency is needed to fully unlock the framework’s potential.

The Case for Local Expertise

AmCham Ghana spotlighted an important opportunity: many multinational and regional companies operating in Ghana rely on external decision-making frameworks that don’t always account for local regulatory and operational realities. This creates a strong case for closer collaboration with Ghana-based restructuring professionals who understand the terrain.

The issue of confidentiality also came up, a double-edged dynamic where protecting distressed businesses during intervention limits the ability to publicly document successful recoveries and build broader market awareness of what structured restructuring can achieve.

Deepening the Collaboration

Both parties identified concrete opportunities to work together, through forums, targeted member engagements, and knowledge-sharing sessions designed to raise awareness of restructuring options among AmCham’s membership. There was strong consensus that business recovery and insolvency discussions should be woven into broader conversations around corporate governance, investment protection, and economic resilience.

The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to deepen the partnership, increase visibility of CIRIP’s work within the AmCham network, and explore how CIRIP can be integrated into upcoming AmCham programs, ensuring member companies have timely access to the expertise they need to navigate financial and operational challenges before it’s too late

AmCham Ghana and World Trade Center Ghana Explore Strategic Partnership

AmCham Ghana CEO Doris Afranyedey recently met with World Trade Center Ghana Managing Director Yvonne Botchey for a productive exploratory discussion on formalizing a strategic partnership between the two organizations. The meeting offered both leaders an opportunity to share their respective mandates, compare strategic directions, and identify areas of natural alignment.

WTC Ghana, a licensed member of a global network of over 330 World Trade Centers across 100 countries, is currently undergoing a strategic transformation under new leadership, expanding beyond its facilities roots into trade missions, investment services, and business development. AmCham Ghana, similarly, is deepening its sector engagement model and growing its trade facilitation offerings for businesses looking to enter or expand in the Ghanaian market.

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AmCham Ghana Members Rally Around Key Advocacy Priorities for Health, Hospitality, Logistics, and Aviation

The American Chamber of Commerce in Ghana convened the inaugural sitting of its Health, Hospitality, Logistics, and Aviation Committee, a milestone gathering that brought together business leaders from across aviation, logistics, healthcare, pharmaceuticals,and hospitality to chart a shared advocacy course for 2026.

More than a formal meeting, the session was a frank, working conversation, a space where members could speak candidly about the realities facing their industries and get aligned on where collective action can make the greatest difference. Members used the platform to surface industry-specific pain points, identify common ground, and map out how the private sector can engage more effectively with government institutions and regulators.

The conversation was energetic and wide-ranging, but a few clear themes ran through it: businesses need to be consulted earlier in policy and regulatory processes, rules need to be more predictable, and the public-private dialogue that drives investment and service quality needs to be meaningfully strengthened.

On the specifics, members raised a substantive list of concerns, from newly introduced aviation charges and the proposed move of select airlines to Terminal 2, to Ghana’s lagging e-visa rollout and the untapped potential of medical tourism. Discussions also touched on access to private healthcare financing, long-overdue payments from public sector clients, bottlenecks in pharmaceutical reimbursement and regulatory approvals, customs-related delays in logistics, and the need for better visibility into bills and policy proposals before they take effect.

The committee left the session with a clear mandate, translate these priorities into coordinated, evidence-based advocacy that moves the needle for the sectors it represents.

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AmCham Ghana Financial Services & Professional Advisory Sector Committee Maiden Meeting

Accra, Ghana – Tuesday, 3rd March 2026 – The American Chamber of Commerce in Ghana (AmCham Ghana), led by CEO Doris Kafui Afanyedey, successfully convened the maiden meeting of the Financial Services & Professional Advisory Sector Committee at the Chamber Secretariat. The meeting marked an important step in strengthening collaboration between industry leaders and policymakers to address key challenges and opportunities within Ghana’s financial services ecosystem.

 

The session brought together representatives from leading financial institutions, insurance firms, advisory services, and development partners. Participants included Kofi Pianim and Peter Vanderpuje of First National Bank Ghana; Sheila Wristberg of Irisk Management; Joseph Ampofo of Enterprise Group PLC; Emmanuel Moses Afful of OmniBSIC Bank; Shaibu Ali of KEK Insurance; Winifred Nkansah of GCB Bank PLC; Joshua Sowah of EMWA (Edward Mensah, Wood & Associates); Gideon Bosompem, Clara Amarteifio Taylor, and Frank Andoh of PwC Ghana; Peter Osei-Duah of Allstar Insurance Brokers; Herbert Morrison of Morrison & Associates; Enyonam Dovlo of Citibank N.A.; and Kingsley Abrokwah of Old Mutual Ghana.

 

The meeting also welcomed representatives from the U.S. Embassy in Ghana, including Victoria Agbai, Commercial Specialist at the Embassy’s Commercial Section, reinforcing the shared commitment to strengthening U.S.–Ghana trade and investment relations within the financial services sector.

 

Discussions during the meeting focused on setting the foundation for the committee’s work by aligning members on its mandate, vision, and strategic priorities. Members engaged in discussions on key regulatory and policy issues affecting the sector, including tax compliance challenges, regulatory engagement with institutions such as the Bank of Ghana and the Ghana Revenue Authority, as well as broader industry concerns impacting financial sector stability, investment, and business operations.

 

Committee members also explored opportunities to strengthen advocacy through structured dialogue with regulators and policymakers, while emphasizing the importance of data-driven policy engagement to support a more predictable and competitive financial services environment. In addition, discussions highlighted the need for continued industry collaboration on emerging areas such as financial technology, digital transformation, and virtual assets.

 

The meeting further outlined priority areas for the committee’s 2026 workplan, including regulatory engagement with key government institutions, targeted policy advocacy on taxation and compliance issues, capacity-building initiatives for members, and strategic dialogue with regulators and development partners.

 

This engagement underscores AmCham Ghana’s continued commitment to providing strategic platforms that enable its members to actively contribute to policy dialogue, strengthen industry collaboration, and advance the broader U.S.–Ghana commercial partnership through a more resilient and innovative financial services sector.

View photos here.