Ghana ranked higher in latest World Bank Doing Business Report

Ghana has made some marginal progress in improving the environment for doing business, the latest World Bank Ease of Doing Business reports.

The Rankings saw Ghana go up by three places to 108 out of 190 countries ranked.

It assessed the countries based on 11 indicators such as starting a business, access to a credit facility, registering a property, access to electricity, paying taxes, protecting

minority investors, trading across borders, enforcing contracts and resolving insolvency.

Ghana recorded its biggest jump in the area of trading across borders, going up by 13 places to 167 out of the 190 countries ranked.

It also went up by three places to 76 on the resolving insolvency indicator and two places to 122 when it comes to getting access to electricity for businesses.

The country, however, did not do so well, in the time taken to start a business, as it went down by seven places to 103 and dealing with contracts permit also went down by five places to 112.

In the category of facilitating easy mode for firms to pay taxes, Ghana was ranked 119 after going down by three places.

For easy access to a credit, Ghana went down by two places to 44.

On the African Continent, Ghana was ranked as the ninth best place for doing business after Lesotho and Zambia.

However, in West Africa, Ghana beat the biggest economy in the region, Nigeria and its neighbor, Ivory coast, as the best place for doing business.

Mauritius once again ranks best in the region, with an overall Doing Business global ranking of 49.

Mauritius performs best in the areas of Protecting Minority Investors and Dealing with Construction Permits, with a rank of 32 and 33 respectively, on those indicators.

For example, it takes 156 days to complete the construction permitting processes for simple buildings, compared to 183 days in France and 222 days in Austria, Rwanda (56), Botswana (71), South Africa (74) and Ghana (108).

This years report also covers Somalia for the first time, bringing the total number of economies covered globally to 190 with the sub-Saharan country ranked 190.

For the second consecutive year, Kenya places among the global top 10 improvers. Ranked 92, Kenya implemented reforms in five Doing Business areas.

For example in the area of Resolving Insolvency, the economy introduced a reorganization procedure and introduced regulations for insolvency practitioners.

Starting a Business was made easier by removing the stamp duty fees required for the nominal capital, memorandum and articles of association and eliminating requirements to sign the compliance declaration before a commissioner of oaths.