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Minimum capital abolished for almost everyone — except trading

Residence via Foreign Enterprise
Ghana (GIPA Act 2026)

From 15 July 2026, minimum capital is completely abolished for most foreign enterprises — the old $200,000 (joint venture) and $500,000 (wholly foreign-owned) figures no longer apply. Exception: trading — the threshold is halved to $500,000, now cash-only.

Joint venture (non-trading)
minimum abolished
Wholly foreign-owned (non-trading)
minimum abolished
Trading enterprise
from $500,000, cash only
Immigration Service recommendation timeline
5 days

Before and after the 15 July 2026 reform

The change isn’t one figure — the entire logic shifted: capital is no longer mandatory at all, except for the trading sector.

ENTERPRISE TYPE
BEFORE (Act 865)
AFTER (Act 1173, from 15.07.2026)
Joint venture with a Ghanaian partner
BEFORE (Act 865)from $200,000
minimum ABOLISHED
Wholly foreign-owned (non-trading)
BEFORE (Act 865)from $500,000
minimum ABOLISHED
Trading enterprise
BEFORE (Act 865)from $1,000,000 (cash or goods), 20 employees
from $500,000 (cash only), 75% skilled Ghanaian employees

What the process consists of

The staffing requirement for trading shifted from a fixed headcount (20 people) to a percentage test (minimum 75% skilled Ghanaian employees) — workforce composition now matters more than total headcount.

COST ITEM
RATE
APPLIES TO
Capital (non-trading)
RATEno minimum set
per business
Capital (trading)
RATEfrom $500,000, cash only
per business
Residence permit via GIPA recommendation
RATEdepends on the Immigration Service
per applicant

How the process runs

01
Determining the sector of activity
Trading requires capital from $500,000; other sectors have no minimum.
02
Registering the enterprise
Through the Ghana Investment Promotion Authority (GIPA).
03
Meeting staffing requirements (for trading)
Minimum 75% skilled Ghanaian employees.
04
Receiving GIPA’s recommendation to the Immigration Service
Within 5 days — an expedited timeline under the new law.
05
Obtaining the residence permit
Through Ghana’s Immigration Service, based on the recommendation.

A good fit if

You are planning an enterprise outside the trading sector — minimum capital is completely abolished.
Or you are prepared for the trading sector with capital from $500,000 in cash and a workforce of 75%+ skilled Ghanaian employees.
You value the expedited procedure — a 5-day timeline for the Immigration Service recommendation.
You aren’t relying on the outdated $200K/$500K figures for joint ventures/foreign enterprises — they no longer apply from 15.07.2026.

A poor fit if

You are counting on the outdated $1,000,000 trading threshold — it was halved to $500,000 by the same law.
You plan to contribute trading-sector capital as goods — only cash is now accepted.
Your trading-sector workforce is below 75% skilled Ghanaian employees.
You need a direct link to the official law text — this page’s source is a legal analysis (Mondaq), not a primary government text.

Who runs this programme

Your request goes to two or three firms from this list. You see exactly which ones before it is sent, and you can exclude any of them.

No matching firms in the directory for this category yet — the list is curated by hand and grows over time.

This is an independent list of firms in the market, not our partners — we do not forward requests to them or receive payment for referrals. Contact them directly via the link.

Frequent questions

Why do many sites still say $200,000 or $500,000 minimums?

Those figures applied before the 15 July 2026 reform under the previous law (GIPC Act 2013) — the new law (GIPA Act 2026) completely abolished minimum capital for joint ventures and wholly foreign-owned enterprises outside trading, but the old figures continue to appear on unupdated sources.

Why wasn’t the trading threshold abolished too, just reduced?

Per the available data, the trading sector retained special status in the law — the threshold was halved (from $1M to $500K) but not removed entirely, unlike other sectors.

Can trading-sector capital be contributed as goods?

No — per the available data, the new law requires cash equity specifically, unlike the previous rule that allowed goods as part of the capital.

What does the 75% skilled Ghanaian employees requirement mean?

Per the available data, this is a percentage test replacing the previous fixed 20-person requirement — what matters now is the share of skilled Ghanaian workers in the trading enterprise’s workforce.

What is the 5-day recommendation timeline?

Per the available data, the new law introduces an expedited timeline — 5 days for GIPA to send its recommendation to the Immigration Service, faster than previous practice.

Does this programme grant Ghanaian citizenship?

No — this page covers residence via enterprise, not citizenship or a separately described path to it.

Sources

Figures are for reference only. Verified against official sources on 27 August 2026. A precise quote is issued by the appointed firm after document review. This material is not legal advice, a public offer or investment advice.