AT A ceremony in Accra, the Ministry of Finance and KfW signed a financing agreement in the amount of 16M EURO that will enable Ghana to secure its shareholding and membership into the African Trade Insurance Agency (ATI), a multilateral investment guarantee institution that mitigates investment risks into Africa.

Ghana’s shareholding in ATI enables the government to further develop the private sector, which is a key reform agenda under the Reform and Investment Partnership Agreement between Ghana and Germany.


Ghana will leverage on its membership to ATI to access insurance cover for billions of dollars of investment going forward.

As Ghana is becoming a full member, ATI will now be able to insure much greater volumes of transactions in Ghana, which are currently valued at approximately US $4 billion. 
ATI insures investors against non-payment and non-honouring of sovereign and corporate risks. As one of the largest providers of investment and political risk insurance, ATI presently insures upwards of US$6 billion worth of transactions in Africa.


Under the Bilateral Reform and Investment Partnership, the German Development Cooperation has provided the funds for the completion of the ATI membership of Ghana. The Bilateral Reform and Investment Partnership between Ghana and Germany, through the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), was launched in 2017.

It’s purpose is to promote private sector investments and sustainable economic development under the G20 ‘Compact with Africa’. Furthermore, it seeks to encourage a partnership model that is based on mutual trust and accountability. 


The signing took place at a ceremony organised on September 26 at the Ministry of Finance and was attended by Deputy Minister for Finance, Hon. Charles Adu Boahen, the German Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Christoph Retzlaff, the Director General and Special Envoy 
for the Reform and Investment Partnership from Germany, Dr. Stefan Oswald, the Acting CEO of ATI, John Lentaigne as well as the Director for Central Africa and Regional Funds of KfW, Dr. Jan Martin Witte.

Dr. Stefan Oswald, Director General and Special Envoy for the Reform and Investment Partnership
said: “The agreement signed today will move Ghana towards a more investor-friendly and sustainable economy, which are both developments that will have a positive developmental impact. The Government of Germany welcomes the opportunity to support Ghana as it continues to make tremendous strides in reforms and transparency that have set an enviable pace for other countries to follow.”

John Lentaigne, Acting CEO, African Trade Insurance Agency added: “ATI and Ghana have been waiting for this day to finally announce that Ghana is a full member of the ATI. Effectively, this means that ATI is open for business in Ghana.

“Thanks to the German government, through KfW, for their invaluable support in pushing Ghana’s membership over the finish line. As one of the largest and most dynamic economies in Africa, we see Ghana’s membership as a game changer. With ATI’s support, Ghana will now have access to previously scarce investment insurance, which will help to considerably lower the country’s borrowing costs as well as to attract new investors.”