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Market Intelligence

Market Intelligence Reports & Insights

Practical market intelligence for companies, investors and technology providers exploring opportunities between Dubai, Ghana, West Africa and global markets.

Latest market intelligence

Our reports address the questions decision-makers ask before committing capital: how to evaluate African investment markets, how foreign companies enter Ghana and West Africa, which market-entry structures work in practice, where UAE–Africa business opportunities are emerging, and how technology and trade are reshaping cross-border expansion.

Accra business district at golden hour seen from an office interior, with company documents and a laptop on the desk — illustrative editorial image

Investment

How to Start a Business in Ghana: Registration, GIPC, Local Partners & Next Steps

20 September 2026

Foreign companies and founders can establish and operate a business in Ghana, but the correct route depends on the activity, the ownership structure, the sector and whether investment registration or sector approvals apply. This guide separates company registration, investment registration, tax registration, immigration and sector licensing — five distinct processes that are often collapsed into one — and sets out what to prepare before speaking to anyone about a structure.

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Dubai business district skyline at golden hour viewed from an office interior with documents and a laptop in the foreground — illustrative editorial image

Dubai × Africa

How to Start a Business in Dubai as a Foreigner: Cost, Free Zone, Mainland & Next Steps

19 September 2026

Foreign nationals can and do establish companies in Dubai, but the structure that works depends on the business activity, where customers and payments sit, visa needs, banking expectations and expansion plans. This guide sets out the practical sequence, the variables that actually move setup cost, the honest difference between Free Zone and Mainland, and the questions to answer before engaging a setup consultant.

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Integrated agrifood site with commercial poultry housing, grain silos, a feed mill and logistics bays at sunset — illustrative editorial image

Agriculture

Ghana's $270M Poultry Programme — The Bigger Opportunity May Be Feed Productivity

11 September 2026

On 28 August 2026 Ghana's 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Secretariat (24H+) and four investment partners signed Heads of Terms for a US$270 million National Poultry Transformation Programme spanning feed production, breeding, hatcheries, broiler production, processing, cold chain, logistics and market access. The signed document is an intent-stage agreement, not financial close. For international companies, the more durable question is whether Ghana can build the feed economics, animal health and processing productivity that make an integrated poultry value chain competitive.

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Port container terminal, grain silos and light-industrial warehousing beside a city business district at golden hour — illustrative editorial image

Investment

How to Invest in Africa: Markets, Risks & Practical Entry Steps

11 September 2026

This guide is written for companies, strategic investors, technology providers and operators rather than portfolio investors. ORTERRA's view is that market conditions and execution pathways should be evaluated before capital is deployed, so the guide sets out how business investment into African markets is structured in practice: defining an investment thesis, selecting a country rather than a continent, validating demand, choosing an entry model, completing regulatory and banking due diligence, verifying local partners, and piloting before scaling. Ghana is used as a working West Africa case study, not as a claim that it is the best country.

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Modern Accra business district at dusk with abstract digital network overlay — illustrative editorial image

Technology & Africa

Ghana's Economy Grew 6% — But the Bigger Story Is Digital

10 September 2026

Ghana's economy expanded by 6.0 per cent year on year in the second quarter of 2026. For foreign companies and investors, the headline number may not be the most important part of the story. The more significant signal is where that growth is coming from: information and communications grew 30.9 per cent and accounted for 41.5 per cent of total growth, while services as a whole contributed 57.6 per cent.

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Modern West African business district with a civic institutional building at golden hour — illustrative editorial image

Investment

Ghana Takes a Legal Step Toward Citizenship by Investment — But No Programme Exists Yet

7 September 2026

The Ghana Investment Promotion Authority Act, 2026 (Act 1173) repeals the GIPC Act, 2013 and removes blanket minimum-capital requirements for most foreign investors. It also directs the Ministry of the Interior to enact separate citizenship-by-investment legislation. No such legislation, threshold, eligibility rule, application process or launch date has been published. No investor can currently buy Ghanaian citizenship, and the US$500,000 trading-enterprise capital rule is not a citizenship price.

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West African coastal container port and city skyline at golden hour — illustrative editorial image

Trade

UAE–Senegal Economic Ties: Why Senegal Matters in the Emerging UAE–West Africa Corridor

6 September 2026

Non-oil trade between the UAE and Senegal grew 24.5 per cent to approximately US$1.3 billion in 2025, and bilateral trade in the first half of 2026 exceeded US$751 million. This article examines what is verified, what remains an intention, why Senegal matters in a UAE–West Africa corridor, where the limits of the gateway argument lie, and what companies should validate before committing capital.

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Abstract data visualisation of Africa as a connected network with trade links to the Gulf — illustrative editorial image

Investment

Is Africa a Good Place to Invest? What Investors Should Evaluate

2 September 2026

This article is a decision framework, not a recommendation to invest. It is written for business investors rather than portfolio investors: companies and individuals weighing direct investment, joint ventures, market entry, distribution, projects and local operating presence in African markets — and it sets out what to evaluate, what to verify and where the real risks sit before any capital is committed.

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Modern West African central business district office towers at golden hour — illustrative editorial image

Investment

Doing Business in Ghana: What Foreign Companies Need to Know

2 September 2026

A practical, source-checked guide for foreign companies evaluating Ghana: whether you need a local entity at all, how company, distributor and joint-venture routes compare, what the Ghana Investment Promotion Authority Act, 2026 (Act 1173) changed about foreign capital requirements, when a Ghanaian partner is a legal requirement rather than a commercial choice, and what to verify on banking, FX, repatriation and sector licensing.

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Technology professionals working alongside network infrastructure in a modern Accra office — illustrative editorial image

Technology & Africa

UAE–Ghana Innovation Hub: A New Technology Corridor into West Africa

1 September 2026

Ghana and the UAE are advancing plans for a major Innovation and Technology Hub designed to strengthen digital infrastructure, innovation, investment and technology development in Ghana. For international companies, the initiative is another signal that Ghana's role as a gateway into West Africa is attracting growing attention from the UAE and global technology ecosystem.

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Intelligence is published from primary sources: government and public authorities first, then first-party corporate announcements. To act on what you read, explore our West Africa market-entry work or current investment and business opportunities.

Business leaders overlooking a city skyline at dusk

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