The Central Securities Depository (CSD) is teaming up with the Business and Financial Times (B&FT) in a new public education campaign aimed at cultivating a more investment-savvy population.
The collaboration, which kicked off with a meeting between CSD Managing Director, Joseph Oko Abumah Lartey and B&FT CEO, Dr. Godwin Acquaye, seeks to drive financial inclusion and deepen participation in the country’s capital markets.
The partnership comes at a pivotal time, as the CSD recently rolled out a comprehensive infrastructure overhaul, including the anticipated launch of a digital investor portal designed to simplify access to securities trading and dematerialisation services. The initiative is anchored in CSD’s broader ambition to double down on investor education while enhancing transparency and ease of use in Ghana’s securities market.
“Our new infrastructure went live on Monday (yesterday),” Mr. Lartey said.
He referred to the revamped system that now integrates seamlessly with various market players, including the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE), the National Identification Authority (NIA), Bloomberg, and the Bank of Ghana.
He described the project as one of the most complex the depository has ever undertaken, due to the high number of interlinked systems required to deliver real-time settlement and investor services.
Central to the CSD’s modernisation push is the newly to be introduced investor portal, which will allow users to open accounts, monitor holdings, and transact electronically—mimicking internet banking functionality but for securities. Users can verify their identity with the Ghana Cards, onboard via selfies, and select from over 70 depository participants, including brokers and banks.
The platform dematerialises paper-based securities—transforming physical certificates into electronic records. This shift, Mr. Lartey emphasised, not only reduces the risk of losing documents but also streamlines trading and settlement on the GSE.
Despite having over 1.7 million accounts on its books, the CSD believes the market remains under-active, with most accounts seeing limited or no trading activity.
“Growing the account base is not enough if we’re not seeing transactional activity,” Mr. Lartey said. He stressed that education is key to unlocking market value, pointing to the need for public understanding of how to initiate and exit investments.
The partnership with B&FT, Ghana’s leading business newspaper, is intended to bridge that knowledge gap.
Dr. Acquaye affirmed B&FT’s commitment to demystifying capital market concepts through its media platforms, with a focus on making investment knowledge accessible to everyday Ghanaians.
Mr. Lartey also highlighted the role of other stakeholders, including the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Ghana Securities Industry Association (GSIA), in restoring investor confidence, which he said had been eroded in recent years by macroeconomic volatility.
“This is a collective responsibility,” he noted, adding that rebuilding trust will require sustained efforts in market transparency, investor protection, and reliable infrastructure.
