We have not looked hard enough for local investment. Time and again, we package our most attractive deals, provide all the data, roll out every courtesy, and hand them to foreigners while our own people are left on the sidelines. Ironically, Ghanaians with money are lured into scams like Menzgold, Pyram, or Tilapia schemes, or locked into instruments like bonds, and investment houses that have at times proven risky, as seen in the recent Domestic Debt Exchange Programme.
Ghanaians only get to know about many of these prime opportunities after they have already been struck abroad. By then, it is too late. We must be intentional about ensuring that our citizens are not perpetual spectators in their own economy.
I have made this point before: if a few Ghanaians could invest 400 million dollars in Menzgold and lose it all, then the same group could have come together to build a gold mine. The tragedy is not the lack of resources but the absence of the right information, the enabling policy framework, and the structure to mobilise such investment.
Every week, Ghanaian individuals and institutions invest billions of cedis into Treasury Bills. Imagine if even a fraction of that were diversified into strategic, long-term ventures such as building industries, infrastructure, and jobs. The impact would be transformational.
This requires leadership. Government and policymakers must create deliberate frameworks that invite, protect, and reward Ghanaian participation. Our citizens should have the first right of access to invest in the juicy areas of the economy before we look outside. When locals own the growth story, they not only earn returns but also build the national confidence and resilience that foreign capital alone can never provide.
It is time to look within strategically, intentionally, and boldly. Ghanaians have the resources, the will, and the right to shape their own future. What we need now is a structured path that rewards their faith and secures their place in the wealth of this nation.