According to the latest Integrated Business Establishment Survey (IBES) released by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), Ghana is home to a total of 2,644,358 businesses.
The data indicates that 1.87 million businesses (70.6%) operate from fixed structures, whereas 693,748 businesses (26%) operate in open spaces and 82,920 (3.1%) are mobile.
Open-space and mobile businesses collectively account for nearly 30% of all enterprises, highlighting their crucial role in facilitating daily commerce and access to goods and services nationwide.
Furthermore, the data reveals that open-space businesses alone provide employment to over 922,000 individuals, rendering them a significant source of job creation.
These businesses are predominantly concentrated in the Greater Accra and Ashanti regions, reflecting robust urban demand and commercial activity.
Nationally, approximately 63.7% of open-space businesses operate for at least six days a week, with the highest frequency observed in Greater Accra (77.5%) and Ashanti (73.1%).
In the Northern Region, nearly half (48%) of these businesses operate seven days a week. The survey also sheds light on gender dynamics within the sector, revealing that almost 80% of individuals engaged in open-space but fixed-location businesses are women, while an overwhelming 99.2% of open-space businesses are owned by Ghanaians.
Additionally, mobile businesses, numbering 82,920 nationwide, underscore the substantial contribution of non-traditional enterprises to livelihoods and local commerce.
Overall, the findings underscore the centrality of informal and semi-formal businesses to Ghana’s economic activity, characterized by varying scales, employment levels, and income-generation potential across the country.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana