The UK and Ghana have signed a new Growth Partnership aimed at delivering tangible benefits for people and businesses in Ghana, including more jobs, stronger infrastructure and better access to skills and education. The Partnership will build on the up to £215 millions of deals signed as part of the Ghana Investment Summit in London.
Signed today during President John Dramani Mahama’s official visit to the United Kingdom, the Partnership sets out how the two countries will work together from 2026 to 2028 to support private‑sector‑led growth, boost trade and unlock new investment.
The Partnership focuses on four priority areas: attracting private investment and finance; making it easier for Ghanaian businesses to trade; supporting infrastructure and industrial growth; and expanding skills and education partnerships.
It is backed by a series of practical initiatives designed to deliver real results, including:
- new jobs and a stronger maritime sector: a £101million ($137 million) UK-supported project, to develop the first commercial-scale ship repair and dry-docking facility in the Gulf of Guinea. The Takoradi Floating Dock Project (ShipRite) is backed by a consortium of investors including UK co-owned Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) and delivered in partnership with the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA)
- it is expected to create up to 430 direct jobs, with around 30% taken up by women; while positioning Ghana as a regional maritime hub and reducing emissions by overall travel distances. The project also pioneers the involvement of local pension funds in infrastructure finance in the region
- climate‑aligned infrastructure: a £5 million UK-supported (ODA) Green Project Preparation Facility, hosted by Financial Sector Deepening Africa (FSD Africa) and in partnership with the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund, designed to help transform viable ideas from private and public sector developers into investable climate-focused infrastructure projects, with the potential to unlock up to £180 million in deals over three years, supporting opportunities for UK firms, supporting the Government of Ghana’s priority infrastructure agenda
- mobilising global capital for Ghana’s green economy: Mere Plantations has announced plans to scale up plantation and reforestation activities in Ghana, including the use of new technologies such as biochar to enhance environmental impact and sustainability. As a major milestone, the company will launch a £85 million reforestation investment fund listed in the UK, the first Article 9 “dark green” fund on the London Stock Exchange’s new Private Markets platform. Backed by the Ghana Forestry Commission, the fund will channel international capital into high‑integrity reforestation and carbon projects in Ghana, supporting jobs, restoring degraded land and positioning Ghana as a leading destination for nature‑based investment
- new partnership to help implement the Ghana AI Strategy, as part of a wider set of new Science and Technology collaboration, backed by £6 million UK funding. During the Investment Summit, Minister for Communications, Digital Transformation and Innovation will discuss how UK expertise can help Ghanaian institutions unlock the benefits of AI. Ten new Physics Partnerships have been funded in partnership with UK Research and Innovation driving collaboration across universities
- restoring forests and livelihoods: Rainforest Builder to inject £9 million in new investment in forest restoration in the Oti Region, supporting environmental protection and local jobs.
- skills and education opportunities: the publication of Transnational Education guidelines, opening new partnerships between UK and Ghanaian institutions and supporting access to higher‑quality education and training
- stronger healthcare skills: a £4 million, five‑year partnership between a UK training provider and Ghana‑based Mangel Klicks to deliver specialist clinical engineering training, strengthening healthcare systems in Ghana and supporting skills development across the wider region
The Partnership is signed as the UK and Ghana mark five years of the UK–Ghana Trade Partnership Agreement. Since the Agreement entered into force, bilateral trade has grown to around £1.6 billion, an increase of 12.5% since 2024. It also builds on the strong investment pipeline established by British International Investment (BII) whose development finance investment into Ghana stands at approximately £140 million, including Maa Grace, a UK-Ghanaian export-focused garments business backed through Growth Investment Partners (GIP) Ghana.
H.E Dr Christian Rogg, British High Commissioner to Ghana, said:
This Growth Partnership is about real change people can see and feel. It means more skilled jobs, stronger ports and transport links, better access to finance, and new opportunities for young people and women across Ghana.
By working with Ghanaian partners and backing private investment, we are supporting growth that is sustainable, inclusive and led by Ghana’s own priorities.
Together, these initiatives demonstrate a strengthened UK–Ghana Growth Partnership that is:
- mobilising investment at scale
- expanding and diversifying trade
- supporting infrastructure for industrial transformation
This partnership underscores the UK’s commitment as a long-term partner in Ghana’s economic transformation, while unlocking new commercial opportunities across priority sectors.
Further information
- Ghana is one of West Africa’s most stable democracies and plays a leading role in the region’s economy and building greater security
- the UK–Ghana Growth Partnership complements existing trade arrangements and builds on long‑standing people‑to‑people and business links between the two countries
- the Partnership is designed to support a predictable environment that encourages responsible, sustainable investment
- about the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF): GIIF is a Government of Ghana initiative designed to facilitate and manage infrastructure investments across key sectors of the Ghanaian economy
- about the UK–Ghana Trade Partnership Agreement: The UK–Ghana Trade Partnership Agreement entered into force in 2021 and provides a framework for trade between the two countries following the UK’s departure from the European Union
- about the Dry dock project, delivered in partnership with the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA): PIDG’s investment complements equity investments by ARM-Harith Infrastructure Fund and the project developer, Prime Meridian Docks Ghana Ltd, and unlocks senior and mezzanine financing from the African Export-Import Bank, the African Development Bank, the Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank (TDB), Petra Pension Schemes, and Origen Private Debt Fund
- about Mere Plantations: Mere Plantations is a UK-based forestry and investment company specialising in sustainable plantation development and reforestation projects, working in partnership with the Ghana Forestry Commission to restore degraded land, generate carbon credits and support local jobs. Mere Plantations is scaling reforestation in Ghana while preparing to list an Article 9 “dark green” fund on the London Stock Exchange, marking a significant step in mobilising international capital into the country’s green economy. The initiative is also a launch client for the LSE’s new Private Markets platform
Article Reposted from: gov.uk
