Reach for Change Ghana joins 4th Ghana Impact Investment Summit

Reach for Change Ghana has participated in the 4th Ghana Impact Investment Summit in Accra, an event convened by Impact Investing Ghana under the theme “Scaling Impact: Mobilising Local Capital for Locally Led Change.”

The summit brought together development finance institutions, pension funds, private investors, policymakers and ecosystem actors to explore practical pathways for unlocking domestic capital to support micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and drive inclusive economic growth.

Hosted by Kafui Dey, the event featured high-level plenaries and discussions focused on addressing systemic barriers to investment in Ghana. A key message across sessions was the need to reduce over-reliance on government securities and increase allocations to alternative asset classes such as private equity, infrastructure and SME financing.

Industry players, including Axis Capital, Kuramo Capital and Petra Trust Company Limited, underscored the importance of building diversified portfolios that deliver both financial returns and measurable social impact.

Participants also highlighted regulatory constraints that limit capital deployment, calling for a more enabling policy environment that allows fund managers to operate efficiently within their mandates.

Strengthening local investment pipelines emerged as a recurring theme, with stakeholders noting that while capital exists, there remains a shortage of well-structured, investment-ready opportunities.

Discussions further explored avenues for unlocking pension capital for SMEs, drawing lessons from Ghana’s first pension-backed fund of funds. Contributions from United Nations Capital Development Fund and Netherlands Enterprise Agency emphasised the need for capacity building, innovative financing structures and stronger ecosystem collaboration.

Gender lens investing also featured prominently, with stakeholders pointing to persistent challenges facing women-led businesses, including high collateral requirements, limited access to affordable financing and structural barriers that constrain growth. Participants called for more inclusive financial models, including the use of alternative data such as mobile money transactions to improve credit assessment and expand access to funding.

The summit created opportunities for direct engagement between entrepreneurs and investors through curated deal rooms and investor connect sessions aimed at accelerating capital-raising efforts and fostering long-term partnerships.

Additional sessions examined the role of government in supporting SMEs, challenges in agribusiness financing and emerging opportunities such as carbon markets for African enterprises.

Reach for Change Ghana, which actively engaged in the summit, contributed to discussions on strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem and advancing locally led solutions. The organisation reaffirmed its commitment to equipping social entrepreneurs with the tools, networks and resources needed to scale impactful innovations and drive sustainable development.