Nana Kwadwo Boakye-Akyeampong, Senior Manager for Real Estate Financing at Absa Bank Ghana, has called for improved infrastructure and urban planning in Ghana's cities to better attract investment and talent.

Speaking on Monday, June 15, at the 2026 Citi Business Festival Roundtable Discussion — themed “Building Competitive Cities: Infrastructure, Innovation and Investment for Sustainable Economic Growth” — Boakye-Akyeampong noted that regional cities are actively competing for capital and skilled professionals.

Regional Competition and Investor Preferences

Referencing a presentation by David Ofosu-Dorte, Boakye-Akyeampong stated that Accra must be evaluated against its West African peers. While acknowledging that Lagos is significantly larger, he identified Cotonou and Abidjan as comparable cities competing for the same investments and talent pool.

According to Boakye-Akyeampong, investors and professionals favor cities with developed, well-planned ecosystems. Businesses prioritize locations where they can operate seamlessly without facing structural challenges such as:

- Poor road networks

- Unstable power supply

- Inadequate waste management

Expanding Development Beyond Accra

While emphasizing the necessity of developing the capital, Boakye-Akyeampong argued that urban planning and infrastructure development must extend to other parts of Ghana. He specifically highlighted Kumasi and Sunyani as cities with strong growth potential. Developing multiple urban centers, he noted, would distribute economic activity and make the country overall more competitive.

“Accra is in competition with other similar cities. Lagos is huge, but you have places like Cotonou and Abidjan, which are comparable cities, and capital, investment, and talent flow to areas with a developed ecosystem," Boakye-Akyeampong stated.

"Infrastructure is well laid out and well planned. You can work in a city and just plug in without worrying about roads, power, or waste disposal... We have other cities like Kumasi and Sunyani that can also be developed to make Ghana more competitive in attracting investment.”