Several companies in Ghana are innovating and changing the way business is done in various industries, creating new business models, creating employment and strengthening the Ghanaian economy. By utilizing technology, some companies in Ghana have disrupted typical business environments while creating environments that support increased efficiency. In this article, we review eight innovative companies in Ghana from various industries such as media, telecommunications, agriculture and finance.
ExpressPay
ExpressPay is an innovative Ghanaian company that simplifies online bill payment and airtime topup. Founded in 2012, the company enables thousands of Ghanaians to pay for several services such as airtime, TV subscription and school fees. Using ExpressPay, everyday consumers can make purchases using multiple channels such as QR code, Mobile money and debit cards.
Mpedigree
Another innovative company in Ghana is Mpedigree which uses web and mobile technologies to secure products and combat counterfeiting. Founded in 2007, the company makes use of several innovative approaches to combat counterfeiting trade which is worth about $700 billion a year and often leads to about 2,000 deaths yearly from fake drugs.
By partnering with telecom operators in various countries where it operates in Africa and Asia, the company has developed an operating system that enables unique codes printed on products to be verified by buyers via text messages. In 2014, the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana announced that it had adopted the mPedigree initiative through its new PREVENT program, thus making the mPedigree solution an industry-wide standard in Ghana.
Asoriba
Asoriba is a technology company that provides a web application for church management and administration. Founded in 2015, the company enables churches to grow and capture relevant data digitally while providing members of churches access to devotionals, social connections and donations of tithes and offerings.
In 2016, Asoriba was named Africa’s Best Startup at the Seedstars Africa contest held in Casablanca, Morocco. With a presence in Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa and over 1,000 churches, using their solution, the company is constantly growing and innovating in a sector that has received minimal technology innovation in Africa.
Stabus
Stabus is another innovative company in Ghana which launched in November 2019 to provide users with private, air-conditioned buses to commute to and from work. Using a mobile app as its primary channel, the company which provides safe and convenient rides to workers has so far completed 900 trips on 6 routes in Accra, Ghana. Although the buses are currently provided by third parties, they must meet specific conditions and operate on pre-defined schedules and routes.
In addition to its bus hailing service, Stabus has launched a cross-border delivery service that matches delivery packages with buses and cargo vans departing from Ghana to Togo, Benin, Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire.
MeQasa
Founded in 2013, MeQasa is one of Ghana’s most trusted real estate marketplace that curates houses for sale and rent in Ghana.
Property development in Africa is big business, however, searching for houses in Accra and other cities is often a difficult task for locals as well as international experts and investors. Back in 2013, online tools and platforms to assist with this task were limited and the founders of MeQasa created a platform to assist in solving this problem in Accra and other major cities in Africa.
In 2015, the company received a $500,000 investment from Frontier Digital Ventures, a global VC firm in Malaysia. With over 40,000 properties listed from over 230 developers and over 2500 agents, the role MeQasa plays in providing a marketplace for landlords and developers to meet prospective tenants, cannot be ignored.
Farmerline
Farmerline is a social software company with the mission to transform millions of farmers into successful entrepreneurs by bridging the information gap for rural farmers.
By using mobile technologies such as SMS, the company connects farmers to markets, finance, weather forecast, new farming tips, inputs dealers and equipment services. Through the use of mobile phones, farmers can also connect to global markets and buy farm inputs and services. Although founded in Ghana in 2013, the company now operates in Cameroon, Malawi, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.
Redbird
Redbird is a health tech company that offers timely health monitoring for patients with chronic disease. Several Africans live with chronic diseases without a convenient way to manage and monitor their health. And every year, millions more develop chronic disease – at a rate of two times the world average.
By partnering with pharmacies, Redbird makes rapid test technology for chronic and acute conditions easily accessible and quick. They supply pharmacies with everything they need to offer rapid diagnostic services for chronic disease, helping them to solve this need by establishing them as the most convenient place for patients to manage their health.
Founded in 2018 by Andrew Quao and Pattrick Beattie, the company has so far partnered with over 200 pharmacies. Also, in 2018, the company emerged as one of the winners of the Demo Africa event in Accra. This Ghanaian e-health startup Redbird has raised funds from Gray Meters Capital.
Conclusion
Companies in Ghana are constantly innovating and in this article, 8 innovative firms from diverse sectors have been reviewed from industries such as finance, pharmaceuticals, agriculture and transport.
Although now categorised as a lower-middle-income country by the World Bank, Ghana’s economy is continuing to expand and innovative companies such as those highlighted in this article are partly responsible for this growth.
