Discusses opportunities for U.S. franchisers and legal requirements in the market.
Last Published: 12/3/2018

In the past year we have seen inroads for Harley Davidson, Pinkberry and Burger King while South African franchises in particular have been active in the Ghanaian market in recent years. Some have been successful (notably retail grocery outlets), while some have failed (e.g. some fast food outlets). Because of the overall improvement in the Ghanaian economy and optimism about the future, interest in franchising is growing. However, numerous challenges remain:

  • Under capitalization of many local businesses and high cost/poor availability of finance mean that many international franchise master licenses are unaffordable for Ghanaian buyers;
  • Difficulty in maintaining reliable supply chain (especially cold chain) – for franchises with specific and regular needs for perishable items imported from abroad;
  • Scarcity of experienced, specialized staff – for some sectors this is not an issue but for other franchised businesses this can an overwhelming challenge.
  • High cost and limited availability of suitable real estate – property costs in Accra and other large cities in Ghana can be prohibitively expensive and limit the expansion of retail operations.

Prepared by our U.S. Embassies abroad. With its network of 108 offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. Locate the U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist in the U.S. nearest you by visiting http://export.gov/usoffices.