The European Union, together with the Embassy of the Netherlands, the French Embassy, Ghana’s Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, and the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), has formally launched a €17.3 million Green, Digital and Inclusive Private Sector Development (GDI PSD) Project aimed at transforming Ghana’s private sector into a more sustainable, technology‑driven and inclusive engine of growth.
The four‑year initiative, unveiled at a high‑level ceremony in Accra, is part of the EU’s broader Global Gateway Strategy, a Europe‑wide investment plan that has mobilised over €300 billion in sustainable infrastructure and economic partnerships worldwide since 2021, including in digital innovation, green energy and health systems.
The GDI PSD project is a response to long‑standing barriers facing Ghanaian businesses, from limited access to finance to weak digital integration, and builds on a series of earlier EU‑supported programmes that tapped private sector dynamism to generate jobs and boost competitiveness.
In recent years, the EU has backed Ghana’s transition beyond commodity‑based growth with initiatives in agriculture, digital services, and manufacturing under the Team Europe umbrella, including support for vaccine manufacturing capacity and feeder‑road infrastructure in rural markets.
Under the GDI PSD project, more than 900 entrepreneurs are expected to benefit from capacity building and market access support, with at least 300 women‑led enterprises targeted to improve inclusion. Funding will also provide direct financial assistance to over 200 businesses, helping them adopt cleaner production methods, digital tools and climate‑resilient practices.
The project also dovetails with broader UN‑led efforts to accelerate MSME digitalisation and financial inclusion, such as UNCDF programmes aimed at expanding digital commerce and credit access for small businesses. These initiatives have already begun to show results in urban and rural markets alike.
Ministry of Trade officials highlighted that the programme is designed to strengthen linkages between Ghana’s private firms and European investors and buyers, signalling a shift from donor‑driven assistance toward market‑oriented collaborations and value‑chain integration. Private sector partners from creative industries, agritech, healthcare and pharmaceuticals are expected to play a key role in deploying these investments at the local level, with technical and financial facilitation from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), Expertise France and UNCDF.
Economists and business leaders say the timing of the project could not be better. After years of economic shocks linked to global commodity volatility, Ghana’s policymakers are emphasising digitalisation and green innovation as pillars of economic renewal. The GDI PSD initiative builds on previous EU‑backed efforts, such as the EU‑Ghana Agriculture Programme, road and energy infrastructure projects, that have boosted connectivity and market access for rural producers and small enterprises.
EU Ambassador, H.E. Rune Skinnebach, reaffirmed Team Europe’s commitment towards creating green jobs and inclusive opportunities, especially for women and young people under the EU Global Gateway Strategy.
The GDI PSD effort would serve as a model for future collaborations that leverage European capital, Ghanaian entrepreneurship and regional markets, provided reforms in governance, regulatory frameworks and investment incentives keep pace with implementation on the ground.
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