First-ever Wa Vendors Expo sparks economic boom and empowers female entrepreneurs

September 9, 2026

• The National Communications Authority (NCA) has qualified three companies for Ghana’s 5G spectrum licensing process: Scancom Plc (MTN Ghana), Ghana Telecommunications Company Limited (Telecel Ghana), and Goal Telecommunications Ltd.
• Significant questions are being raised about Goal Telecommunications Ltd, a company incorporated this year with no publicly known track record in telecommunications.
• The directors and shareholders of Goal Telecommunications also have little publicly available information linking them to prior telecom operations or major technology projects.
• Industry observers are calling for the NCA to provide greater transparency regarding Goal Telecommunications' experience, technical partnerships, financing, and operational capacity.
• Infrava Ltd, led by an individual primarily associated with poultry farming, was the only applicant disqualified from the process.

September 9, 2026

• The 24-hour economy policy was not conceived under President John Mahama's second term but originated from Ghana's 48-year development plan.
• Dr. Nii Moi Thompson of the NDPC stated that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government adopted the policy from this broader plan.
• The 48-year development plan also influenced other initiatives, including the Ministry of Sports and Recreation and the Ghana Agency for Development Cooperation.
• While progress has been made in lining up investments for the 24-hour economy, Dr. Thompson advises a greater focus on Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the next two years.
• He emphasized that SMEs create 80% of new jobs and called for improving the quality of existing jobs alongside creating new ones.

September 9, 2026

• Community leaders in Ejisu-Kwamo are advocating for the newly opened African Mall to operate 24 hours a day.
• They believe a 24-hour operation would significantly boost job creation, increase economic activity, and provide continuous access to goods and services.
• The Ashanti Regional Security Coordinator supports this proposal, linking it to the government's 24-hour economy policy and highlighting the mall's current employment of nearly 100 people.
• African Mall's management chose Ejisu for its location due to the area's growing population and potential for business development, strategically positioning itself outside congested urban centers.
• Ejisu is identified as a key area for new retail investments, benefiting from Kumasi's overall commercial growth and offering opportunities for decentralized development.