The third Ghana Impact Summit came off last week at the Kempinski Hotel, Accra, under the theme ‘Scaling Impact: Mobilising Local Capital for Locally-Led Change’.
Convened by Impact Investing Ghana (IIGh), the summit has brought together policymakers, investors, entrepreneurs, and development partners to accelerate the mobilisation of domestic capital for investing in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to deliver transformative, locally-driven solutions.
In her welcome remarks, Amma Lartey, CEO of Impact Investing Ghana, said: “SMEs play a critical role in Ghana’s economy, contributing significantly to GDP and employment; yet they remain underserved in access to funding, despite their deep impact on national development. Over US$600 billion in domestic institutional capital exists across Africa, and just imagine what it would mean if even a fraction of that were unlocked for businesses capable of delivering real returns.”
Alex Asiedu, Board Chair of IIGh, added: “It’s not good enough when local capital tolerates mediocrity, when standards are weak and when it sometimes favours relationship over performance.” Other speakers during the opening sessions were Silvia Severi, Head of Cooperation, European Union, and Barnabe Ndarishikanye, Counsellor, Global Affairs Canada. Their messages set the tone for a day of dialogue and action focused on unlocking Ghana’s potential through local capital mobilisation.
The opening plenary on mobilising domestic capital at scale featured leaders from Axis Wealth, Petra Trust, Kuramo Capital, CardinalStone Capital Advisers, and IIGh, supported by Global Steering Group (GSG)/Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The session underscored the urgency of harnessing Ghana’s domestic wealth to fuel inclusive growth. A landmark presentation unveiled Ci-Gaba, Ghana’s first pension-backed Fund of Funds, demonstrating how pension capital can be channeled into SMEs. Lessons were shared by Benedict Yiyugsah and Amma Lartey, highlighting the innovation’s potential to reshape SME financing.
Another plenary session placed women at the center of growth, showing how gender finance can be turned into economic power. Women leaders such as Mirabelle Moreaux, Team Lead – Ghana Investment Support Program, Nathalie Gogue Ebo, Partner, Open Capital Advisors, Freda Donkor, Founder & CEO – Fh dépôt, Catherine Krobo Edusei of Eden Tree and Barbara Gansah of Zinari Capital Ltd shared their experiences, reinforcing the summit’s commitment to inclusivity.
Deal rooms curated by DealSource Africa connected pre-screened entrepreneurs with investors, accelerating capital flow into high-potential ventures. Breakout sessions explored critical themes including government interventions for SMEs, agribusiness financing challenges, reforming banking and microfinance, and leveraging carbon markets for SME growth.
The summit concluded with a closing plenary session moderated by Percival Ofori Ampomah, General Manager of the Venture Capital Trust Fund. Centered on the transition ‘From Dialogue to Action,’ the session outlined concrete next steps to ensure that commitments made during the summit translate into measurable impact across Ghana’s investment ecosystem.
“The opportunity before us is not just to invest. It is to build an ecosystem where capital consistently finds the right businesses, and where impact is not accidental and by design,” recounted Michael Abbey Esq. CEO, Venture Capital Trust Fund (VCTF).
The Ghana Impact Summit is the flagship convening of the financial services and entrepreneurship sector, designed by IIGh, to catalyse conversations, partnerships and investments that drive inclusive and sustainable growth. Since its inception, the summit has become a premier platform for mobilising capital and amplifying locally-led solutions.
Impact Investing Ghana Impact Investing Ghana (IIGh) is a nonprofit dedicated to increasing the volume of funding that delivers both financial returns and impact, the pipeline of businesses that can absorb this capital, and a supporting ecosystem for real change in Ghana and beyond. IIGh is catalysing US$1billion in impact funds by unlocking domestic and international financing, supporting impact ventures and connecting them with capital, building the capacity of ecosystem actors, and advocating for policies that enable inclusive growth and sustainable jobs at scale.
As a member of the GSG Impact Partnership and the Africa Impact Investing Group (AIIG), IIGh works to drive more capital towards businesses and initiatives that generate positive social and environmental impact, contributing to sustainable development across Ghana and Africa.
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