Canadian High Commissioner urges reforms in Ghana’s business environment to boost trade

THE Canadian High Commissioner to Ghana, Myriam Montrat, has called for significant reforms in Ghana’s business and regulatory environment to enhance international trade and investment. This, she said, will also make the Ghanaian market more accessible to foreign investors, particularly those from Canada.

Speaking at the end-of-year dinner and awards night organised by the Canada Chamber of Commerce Ghana (CanCham) in Accra, Ms Montrat emphasised that sustained advocacy by diplomatic missions and their national chambers was crucial to applying pressure for positive change.

The event brought together members of the Chamber to celebrate their accomplishments in 2024. “Ghana has much work to do toward reforming the business and regulatory environment to better welcome international trade and investment. 

We need to continually engage in advocacy, with our like-minded diplomatic missions and their national chambers, to bring to bear the necessary pressure for positive reforms,” she said.

Commercial presence 

While acknowledging the progress in Canada-Africa relations, she stressed that more needs to be done to increase the visibility of Canada’s commercial presence on the continent, especially in Ghana. 

Ms Montrat argued that it is time to move beyond discussing the potential of trade and investment and focus on achieving concrete results.

“Notwithstanding the great progress that we are making in Canada-Africa relations, there is also a recognition on both sides that there needs to be greater visibility of Canada in Africa, and this need certainly applies to Ghana. 

In our commercial relations in particular, we need to move past talking about the great potential of increased trade and investment toward more actual results. 
There are challenges!” she said.

Long-term partnerships

The High Commissioner further highlighted the vital role the Canadian High Commission’s trade team and the Chamber could play in overcoming challenges to boost trade relations between the two countries. 

However, she also urged Canadian businesses to be more aware of the opportunities Ghana offers, stating that there needs to be stronger engagement to create long-term partnerships.

"Canada needs to improve its awareness of the economic opportunities that Ghana represents," she said, adding that while the current global economic climate was challenging, sustained engagement between companies will lay the foundation for future growth and prosperity.

Commitment

Highlighting key achievements and aspirations for the future, the President of CanCham Ghana, Linda Vasnani, expressed gratitude for the tireless efforts of the Chamber’s members and partners, emphasising that the collective contributions had paved the way for a successful year.

Looking forward to 2025, she said the Chamber will focus on advocacy and expanding its reach in sector-specific regions.

She was optimistic about the exciting opportunities in the coming year, particularly in strengthening bilateral trade between Ghana and Canada. 

Mrs Vasnani said the Chamber also aims to organise more events to enhance strategic business relationships and continue building capacity through webinars and training programmes.

She reaffirmed the Chamber’s commitment to driving development and strengthening partnerships in the years to come.

Awards

Outstanding members of the Chamber were recognised for their contributions to strengthening trade relations between Ghana and Canada, with Consolidated Shipping Agencies Limited emerging as the Best CanCham Member of the Year while Edward William Wiafe won the Executive Leadership Award. 

Other winners were Base Pharmacy Company Limited; Sewia Mining Company Limited and M&G Logistics Limited, among others.