The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), Simon Madjie, has called on Ghanaians living abroad to channel their remittances into productive investments to support national development.

He said diaspora remittances had outperformed foreign direct investment inflows and could have a stronger impact on the economy if properly directed.

Speaking at a Diaspora Summit under the theme “Resetting Ghana: The Diaspora as the 17th Region,” Mr Madjie highlighted GIPC’s diaspora investment framework, which provides institutional support, policy reforms, access to information, risk mitigation, and digital tools to simplify investment processes.

He noted the Centre’s Diaspora Desk, offering tailored information and advisory services, and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Desk, which supports diaspora investors with opportunities under the AfCFTA.

Mr Madjie said Ghana offers access to a domestic market of about 34 million people, a West African market of over 400 million people, and a continental market of 1.4 billion people.

He also announced the removal of the minimum capital requirement for foreign investors and assured strong legal protections, including safeguards against discrimination and expropriation.

He identified priority sectors for diaspora investment as real estate, manufacturing, the creative industry, tourism and hospitality, ICT, healthcare, green industrialisation, climate-smart agriculture, and digital transformation.

Mr Madjie encouraged investors to explore opportunities beyond the Greater Accra Region and reiterated that the diaspora remains central to Ghana’s development agenda, saying the country is open for business.