Senior officials from the World Bank Group have applauded the strong regulatory foundations of the business environment but called for immediate, coordinated action to bridge a critical "delivery gap" that stifles investment and job creation.

The 2025 Business Ready (B-READY) report revealed that while Ghana’s Regulatory Framework scores a strong 69 out of 100 points, its operational efficiency lags at 52, creating a costly gap between rules and their implementation.

The call for action was made at a dissemination workshop of the B-READY report in Accra, an event that brought together top government advisors, state agencies and private sector leaders to chart a path from diagnosis to execution.

The high-level session featured the World Bank Country Director for Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, Robert Taliercio, the International Finance Corporation’s (IFC) Senior Country Manager for Ghana and Liberia, Kyle Kelhofer, as well as the Presidential Advisor on the 24-Hour Economy, Goosie Tanoh.

Raise game

In his address, Mr Taliercio described Ghana’s economic position using a football analogy, stating the country had “qualified for the World Cup” by performing well regionally, but now must raise its game to “tournament level” against global competition.

In reference to the 52 points operational efficiency lags, Mr Taliercio said it mattered because the real win was jobs and jobs at scale came from investment.

He pointed to gross capital formation lingering at about 10 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), far below the 30 per cent seen in rapidly industrialising nations such as Morocco, as evidence of the constraint.

The B-READY data, he stated, explained the shortfall by highlighting severe operational bottlenecks: imported goods take 23 days to clear at borders, property transfer can take 182 days, and firms endure an average of three power outages monthly.

The World Bank Country Director directly linked solving the issues to the success of the government’s 24-Hour Economy agenda, describing it as a matter of “system readiness.”

Echoing the call for concrete action, Mr Kelhofer of IFC stated the workshop was designed to be “action-focused,” aimed at agreeing on “concrete administrative and coordination measures that can start delivering impact quickly.”

“We are not here simply to restate challenges, but to define solutions,” Mr Kelhofer told the gathering, which included regulators and business leaders.

He urged open and constructive engagement to “turn today’s evidence into progress.”

The technical findings were presented by Subika Farazi, a Senior Economist with the B-READY Unit at the World Bank.

The session was attended by a cadre of senior World Bank Group officials, including Pearl Ackah (FCI), Leonardo Lacovone (Practice Manager, FCI), and Yewande Giwa (IFC Senior Country Officer), underscoring the institution’s coordinated focus on Ghana’s private sector development.

Report

The report, which benchmarks Ghana against other measured economies globally, indicates that the country’s overall business readiness is a mixed bag.

Performance ranges from a high of 72 per cent in the robust Financial Services sector to a concerning low of 34 per cent in Market Competition.

A deeper dive into the scores shows Ghana achieving middle to strong results in several foundational areas.

The country’s Regulatory Framework scored 69 out of 100, placing it in the top 60 per cent globally. 

Public Services obtained 50 points (also top 60 per cent), while Operational Efficiency recorded 52 points, though this places it in the bottom 40 per cent of all economies surveyed.

However, the standout strength identified is in the area of Labour.

With a score of 71 out of 100, Ghana ranks within the elite top 20 per cent of all economies measured. 

The report specifically applauds the country’s effective labour dispute resolution mechanisms, which it noted positively influenced job reallocation and overall productivity, a key factor for economic growth and stability.

Similarly, the Financial Services sector was highlighted as a high-performing pillar with a 72 per cent readiness score. .

This bright picture, however, is severely marred by the nation’s performance in fostering Market Competition.

ith a score of 34 out of 100, Ghana finds itself in the bottom 20 per cent globally. 

The report identifies the area of Competition Law as a particular weak point, both in absolute terms and in comparison to other economies.