For years, Ghana’s entrepreneurial community has been promised a legislative framework to foster innovation, encourage investment, and create an enabling environment for startups. The Ghana Innovation and Startup Bill, initially championed with enthusiasm in 2020, soon found itself lost in the labyrinth of bureaucracy. However, the tides may finally be shifting.

With a new administration in place, the bill has regained attention, and the Minister of Communication, Digital Technology, and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, has set a clear deadline: “The bill must be finalized and presented to Parliament by July 2025 before the legislative recess.” Given Ghana’s history of setting deadlines only to let them drift by like clouds on a Harmattan morning, this timeline is ambitious — some might even call it optimistic.

Why the Sudden Interest?

The resurgence of interest in the bill can largely be credited to a coalition of stakeholders, including Heritors Labs, The RISA Fund, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), and key government institutions like the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation (MEST). Their goal? To finally push the bill past its current “zero draft” status and turn it into a fully-fledged legislative framework that will shape Ghana’s startup landscape.

Leading the charge is the Ghana Innovation and Research Commercialisation Centre (GIRC), whose head, Christopher Lartey, detailed a rigorous three-step validation process that the bill must undergo: committee-level, zonal, and national consultations. This process, while commendable, raises a familiar question — will this be a genuine effort to solicit input, or just another ceremonial tour before the bill is quietly shelved again?

What’s in the Bill?

At its core, the bill aims to:

• Define what qualifies as a “startup” in Ghana.
• Establish a certification and labeling system for startups.
• Offer tax waivers and financial incentives for new businesses.
• Provide intellectual property support and facilitate research commercialization.
• Create investor and mentorship support systems.
• Ensure startups contribute to national economic growth.

The initiative appears well-intentioned, but one cannot ignore the déjà vu — similar promises were made in 2020. Ghana’s Business Development Minister at the time, Dr. Ibrahim Mohammed Awal, boldly stated that within two months, a Startup Bill would be ready for cabinet and parliamentary approval. That was four years ago.

Since then, a flurry of activities has surrounded the bill’s development, including stakeholder workshops, consultations, and even the launch of a website (ghanastartupact.org) meant to track its progress. The Technical Working Committee, established by the Ministry of Business Development and the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program (NEIP), has held numerous consultations and even several retreats to refine the draft.

While engagement is a positive step, past experience suggests that what startups and entrepreneurs want and what ultimately makes it into legislation are often two very different things.

Ghana’s Place in Africa’s Startup Policy Race

Ghana is not the first African country to explore the benefits of a dedicated Startup Act. Tunisia, Nigeria, Algeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Mauritania, Senegal, etc., have already passed similar laws, while Kenya, Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Mali are actively working on their own versions. The Italian government passed the world’s first startup law in 2012, setting a precedent that many nations have since followed.

Ghana’s startup ecosystem, vibrant yet constrained by inconsistent policy support, stands to gain significantly if the bill is properly structured and executed. However, execution has never been Ghana’s strong suit when it comes to innovation policy. The bill’s success — or failure — will hinge on the government’s ability to move beyond rhetoric and into action.

For entrepreneurs and investors in Ghana, the question isn’t whether a Startup Bill is needed — it’s whether the government will finally follow through. The new administration’s interest is promising, but so were the promises of the past. The bill’s July 2025 deadline will serve as a test of whether Ghana’s policymakers can break the cycle of delays that has plagued previous efforts.

If the startup bill is finalized and passed, it could mark a turning point for Ghana ’s innovation ecosystem. If it follows the fate of past legislative attempts, however, it will be yet another reminder that in Ghana, when it comes to startup policy, the road from promise to reality is long and winding.

One can only hope that Ghana’s startup community isn’t left waiting at the finish line — again.