FAQ - Doing business in Ghana
How can I verify the trustworthiness of a company that we intend to do business with?
Check their website.
Ask for references of former (international) business transactions.
Ask for the banks account no. and contact bank to verify.
Ask for the Chamber of Commerce registration number, and verify at the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce & Industries.
Be careful with companies using untraceable addresses (yahoo/hotmail, postoffice box, mobile phones), although in Ghana this occurs quite often, even when reputable companies are concerned.
Never use Western Union to make money transfers.
How do I advertise my products in Ghana?
The most worthwhile promotion is by personal contact, although billboards, posters and point of sale displays are commonly used.
Advertising in Ghanaian newspapers is another possibility just as registering with one of the organisations that publish databases on the Internet, such as mentioned in the answer to the question about finding Dutch suppliers.
I want to export antiques (artifacts) from Ghana: which regulations do I have to comply with?
Normally your Ghanaian supplier will deal with the regulations for exporting from Ghana. Certificates about the origin can be obtained at the National Museum in Accra.
When antique arms are concerned, apart from the above mentioned, different regulations apply; contact the Dutch customs office http://www.douane.nl for more information.
I want to export my products to Ghana, how do I find Ghanaian buyers?
Contact the Association of Ghana Industries http://www.agi.org.gh
Contact the Federation of Associations of Ghanaian Exporters http://www.ghana-exporter.org
Contact the Ghana Export Promotion Council http://www.exportghana.org
Contact the Centre for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries http://www.cbi.nl
Contact the Netherlands Foreign Trade Agency (EVD) http://www.hollandtrade.com for addresses from Ghanaian telephone- and business directories or for further information.
You can retrieve information at the Royal Netherlands Embassy http://www.ambaccra.nl where companies are registered that in the past expressed similar interest.
Contact GHANECC for your trade inquiries see http://www.ghanecc.com/services.php for more information on our services
I want to import Ghanaian products, how do I find Ghanaian suppliers?
Contact the Association of Ghana Industries http://www.agi.org.gh
Contact the Federation of Associations of Ghanaian Exporters http://www.ghana-exporter.org
Contact the Ghana Export Promotion Council http://www.exportghana.org
Contact the Centre for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries http://www.cbi.nl
Contact the Netherlands Foreign Trade Agency (EVD) http://www.hollandtrade.com for addresses from Ghanaian telephone- and business directories or for further information.
You can retrieve information at the Royal Netherlands Embassy http://www.ambaccra.nl where companies are registered that in the past expressed similar interest.
Contact GHANECC for your trade inquiries see http://www.ghanecc.com/services.php for more information on our services.
I want to set up a company in Ghana, where do I start?
Visit the website of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre http://www.gipc.org.gh for information about land acquisition, minimum investments (minimum equity capital), quota of foreign employees, visa regulations, registration at the Registrar General etc.
If the company intends to produce mainly for export, the Free Zones Board http://www.gfzb.com will be of interest to you.
Inform yourself about the OECD-guidelines http://www.oecd.org or OESO-richtlijnen (Dutch) http://www.oesorichtlijnen.nl .
Once you have established your company, please register at the trade section of the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Accra
My Ghanaian client or supplier acts contrary to our agreement, what can I do?
It goes without saying that the best solution is to try to settle the matter between the two of you. If that doesn't work however, you have to explain your client or supplier you have to take legal steps.
It is best to hire a Ghanaian lawyer for this: addresses are available at the Royal Netherlands Embassy http://www.ambaccra.nl
In case of a matter of unbalanced Ghanaian laws or regulations, you might want to send a written explanation of the situation to the Royal Netherlands Embassy; the embassy will then consider raising the matter at the Ghanaian authority concerned.
What are the procedures for importing diamonds and/or gold from Ghana?
For information about importing gold and/or diamonds from Ghana you can contact the Precious Minerals Marketing Company Limited, mandated by the government of Ghana to solely export a minimum of 50kg of gold on behalf of Licensed Buying Agents
PMMC Ltd
Managing director
Tel: 33.21.664.931-4
Fax: 233.21.662.586
Email: pmmc@ghana.com
If you are new into the business om importing precious metals: just don't.
Where can I find technical assistance for my company?
Through the www.nmcp.nl Netherlands Management Co-operation Programme, senior advisers offer companies and institutions a helping hand in a number of places around the world, including Ghana, by transferring knowledge and experience from their own specialist field.
Contact the NMCP for information about the representative for Ghana.
www.agromisa.org is an agricultural organisation, focussing on knowledge dissemination for small scale, sustainable tropical agriculture. Agromisa publishes the Agrodok-series, an interesting, easy accessible series of books about the basic principles of sustainable farming.
Where do I find information on Ghanaian import-export regulations?
Normally your Ghanaian client will have to deal with the import regulations. You might be asked to produce certain documents.
You might however want to contact the Custom Excise & Preventive Services http://www.cepsghana.org yourself, or the Ghana Community Network Services Ltd. http://www.ghanatradenet.com , a joint venture company with shareholders: Customs Excise and Preventive Service, Ghana Shippers Council, Ecobank Ghana Limited, Development Finance Holdings Limited, and SGS Societe General de Surveillance S.A.
Where do I get information about the requirements for the (chemical) composition of goods?
For general information, contact the http://www.cepsghana.org Custom Excise & Preventive Services.
Concerning food & drugs for human consumption:
http://www.moh-ghana.org Food & Drugs Board
P.O.Box CT 2783 Cantonments, Accra, Ghana
t: 233 21 661248, 673090
f: 233 21 660389
e: fdb@ghana.com
Concerning other goods, contact the Ministry concerned.
Which import tax rates apply for Ghana?
Information on import taxes can be found through: http://www.cepsghana.org The Custom Excise & Preventive Services
http://www.ghanatradenet.com Ghana Community Network Services Ltd. (GCNet)
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