Director of Innovation at the Ministry of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation, Emmanuel Ofori, has disclosed that the long-anticipated Ghana Innovation and Startup Bill is expected to be passed by December 2025.
Speaking during a media interview at a Public-Private Sector Roundtable held on Wednesday, Emmanuel said the Bill is currently under review by a law firm in consultation with players in the innovation ecosystem. “The Ghana Innovation and Startup Bill—the state we are in—is currently with a law firm. We are reviewing it with ecosystem players, and it will be passed as one of the bills for this year,” he stated.
The event, hosted by AYA HQ under the theme “Unlocking Ghana’s Innovation Economy: Bridging Government, Industry & Startups for Inclusive Growth”, brought together stakeholders from government, industry, and the startup ecosystem, including the First Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Zakaria Mumuni.
The roundtable highlighted grassroots and policy-level efforts aimed at transforming Ghana into a hub for innovation and inclusive development, particularly for the country’s youth.
According to Emmanuel, the upcoming Act will establish a legislative framework to address core challenges that stifle startup growth in Ghana—namely access to sustainable funding, industry-relevant skills development, and enabling infrastructure.
“We realize that this whole ecosystem, even though it’s vibrant and taking off, doesn’t have any framework that is guiding it. So, the ministry is putting together the Ghana Innovation and Startup Bill,” he said.
“What this Act will do is address one of the bottlenecks that prevents the youth from getting into this innovation space: funding—funding which is sustainable. Once we have the framework, the framework will ensure that we have a fund that will support this core ecosystem,” he added.
Emmanuel further explained that a key challenge facing the innovation ecosystem is a gap in industry-relevant skills. He highlighted the government’s One Million Coders programme as a major initiative aimed at equipping young people with demand-driven skills that align with industry needs, thereby improving their employability and supporting job creation.
Founder and CEO of AyaHQ, Eric Annan, underscored the importance of leveraging innovation to transform Ghana into a startup-friendly economy, calling on the government to accelerate enabling policies.
“Globally, government is an enabler. Government’s job is to provide the enabling environment — a room where real implementers can execute with results, with outcomes, measurable outcomes.”
He asserted that this approach would allow initiatives like AYA and others, built with private resources, to scale—leading to increased employment and tax revenue, which would benefit both citizens and the state.
Eric also expressed strong support for the Ghana Innovation and Startup Bill, describing it as a gateway to make Ghana globally competitive and ready for business.
On his part, Vice President of Strategy and Partnerships at AYA, Michael Lawal, called for a bold reimagining of Ghana’s innovation economy, anchored in the aspirations and potential of its youth.
Lawal said AYA is not only addressing challenges but offering proven solutions.
“We’re not just talking about this. We’re doing it already. We’ve impacted the lives of over 1,000 Ghanaians. The young Ghanaians we’ve trained are now building their own companies that have raised, cumulatively, half a million dollars, who are now employing Ghanaians and paying their own tax.”
Lawal expressed AYA’s readiness to support the government’s One Million Coders initiative, stressing the need for collaboration.
“We have the solution, we have the framework. It works. They’re not rhetorics,” he stated.
Stakeholders at the event agreed that the passage and proper implementation of the legislation will serve as a key measure of Ghana’s readiness to lead inclusive, technology-driven growth across the continent.
The Ghana Innovation and Startup Bill, first drafted in late 2020, aims to boost startup growth by defining startups legally, offering tax incentives, establishing a dedicated fund, and easing business registration. It promotes access to investment, governance, and inclusion across sectors like fintech, agritech, and health tech. The bill is intended to position Ghana as a regional innovation hub by tackling funding gaps, regulatory hurdles, and skills shortages. Drafting began with a multi-stakeholder committee launched on October 29, 2020, and has since involved extensive consultations and revisions led by the Ministry of Communications, Digital Technology, and Innovation.
Also present at the roundtable was the First Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Zakaria Mumuni.
