Her Space with Bridget Mensah: Esi Kangaroo, the economy she ran

Value Added Tax (VAT) compliance is receiving renewed attention in Ghana as the Ghana Revenue Authority intensifies efforts to improve domestic revenue mobilisation. In September 2026, the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) launched the nationwide “Request Your VAT Invoice, Help Build Our Nation” campaign, ahead of a broader VAT invigilation exercise in October aimed at improving invoice issuance and compliance among registered businesses.

The Financial Times Africa Summit returns for its 13th edition on 21 to 22 October at The Landmark, London, with John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic of Ghana, and Olusegun Obasanjo, Former President of Nigeria, confirmed to take part.

When Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa stood beside India’s external affairs minister in Accra on Tuesday and announced that the cabinet of President John Dramani Mahama had decided Ghana should formally apply to join BRICS, he chose his stage with care. India is the bloc’s current chair, it hosted the leaders’ summit in New Delhi only last month, and it is the founding member least inclined to see BRICS turned into an anti-western alliance.

Adjaye Associates has opened a new studio in Accra, creating a new base for the practice while establishing a public-facing space for cultural conversations and creative exchange.

Three siblings sit around the same boardroom table. The eldest joined their father when the company had only five employees. She helped build its systems, found early customers and now runs its largest division. The second sibling joined much later after a successful career elsewhere.

A piece of land can create wealth without ever being developed, while that same parcel can generate an entirely different level of value when transformed into a house, commercial property or mixed-use development. The difference lies not simply in appreciation, but in how effectively capital is deployed, how value is created and how risk is managed.

This is a continuation of last week’s extract from my book:

The Ghana Property & Lifestyle Expo will mark its 10th anniversary with a flagship London edition on Friday 16 and Saturday 17 October 2026 at the Business Design Centre in Islington. The free two-day event will connect the diaspora, international investors, families and businesses with trusted opportunities across Ghanaian property, finance, business, tourism and lifestyle.