Why GNPC must take control of Ghana’s upstream oil and gas resources

Kofi needed a police clearance certificate. The document itself is simple: it confirms that its holder has no criminal record, and the law says it should take five working days to issue. Kofi, applying for a job abroad, began the process on a Monday morning with every reason to expect a straightforward outcome.

- Ghana ranks among the world’s leaders in financial regulation but has paid dearly for failing to ensure its professionals kept pace. The last failure alone cost an estimated GH¢16.4 billion.

A new statutory Authority and a GH¢110 million start-up budget give the government's flagship jobs programme legal teeth. But the gap between institutional architecture and 1.7 million promised jobs remains wide, and history offers little comfort.

 The continent is building sophisticated sustainable finance frameworks.