President John Dramani Mahama has revealed that government has completed preparations to list 10 state-owned enterprises (SOEs) on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE), a move he says will improve how these companies are run and cut down political interference.
Speaking at a side event titled “A Conversation with President John Dramani Mahama” in New York on Friday, September 25, 2026, the President said turning these state enterprises into public companies would enforce discipline and accountability in their operations.
He pointed to a troubling culture in some state institutions, where workers expect guaranteed salaries and bonuses regardless of performance.
“There’s this notion of state enterprises where people just go and they’re guaranteed a monthly salary whether they perform well or not. Even when they’re making losses, they’re asking for salary increments and asking for bonuses when you’ve made a loss,” he said.
According to the President, SOEs have recently shown major improvement, posting a combined net profit of almost GH¢19 billion, according to the latest report from the State Interest and Governance Authority (SIGA), reversing years of losses.
He explained that listing the companies on the stock exchange would shield them from the disruption that often comes with changes in government, since new administrations frequently replace CEOs and dissolve boards of state institutions.
“They’ll become public companies, one, because we want to improve their governance, and two, because we want to reduce political interference in those state-owned enterprises,” he said.
Beyond improving governance, Mahama noted that the listing would give ordinary Ghanaians the chance to buy shares and profit from the performance of these companies.
He also touted the strong performance of the Ghana Stock Exchange, describing it as the best performing exchange in Africa last year, having completed three Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) in record time.
“It’s a good place to invest. Some of them are paying quite good profits,” he said.
Turning to Ghana’s investment climate, the President said the country’s stable and widespread power supply continues to make it attractive to investors.
“Happily, Ghana is one of the countries that started early in terms of providing stable power and affordable power across the length and breadth of our country, and so Ghana has more than 90 per cent electricity coverage,” he said.
He noted that the remaining 10 percent of the country not yet connected to the national grid are in locations where extending the grid is not practical, adding that government is rolling out solar and other off-grid solutions to reach those communities.
Mahama linked the country’s reliable power supply to the sharp rise in foreign direct investment (FDI), which jumped from $640 million in 2024 — a crisis year — to $2.6 billion by the end of 2025.
“It’s obvious that there’s something good happening in Ghana,” he said.
Source: Graphic Online
