The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) has identified Ghana as a key investment node, owing to its economic growth potential and its strategic location for trade within Africa, as well as with Europe and North America.

Ghana is the second fastest growing economy on the continent, driven largely by its oil and gas and mining industries, which all require urgent and significant infrastructure development.

DBSA financial institutions head of coverage Mdu Dlamini says the DBSA’s vision is to build a prosperous and integrated resource efficient region, progressively free of poverty and dependency.

“Our purpose is to bend the arc of history towards shared prosperity across Africa. As such, we use insights to develop bespoke and integrated infrastructure solutions for our clients. As development practitioners, our expertise and solutions range from project planning, preparation, financing, building and maintenance.”

The DBSA has already funded a number of key infrastructure projects in the country. These include the $55.6-million development of Terminal 3 at the Kotoka International Airport.

The project created more than 760 jobs during the construction phase, with a further 900 permanent jobs to be created over the next few years.

In the last 18 months, the DBSA has also approved the investment of $200-million towards energy infrastructure in Ghana.

This includes $100-million of investment in Genser Ghana, an independent power producer supplying power to the gold mining sector; a $61-million investment in the Tema liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal ($61-million); and a $35-million investment in Early Power, which supplies re-gasified LNG and power in the Tema power enclave.