GHANA HERE

Ghana is ranked 107 out of 148 countries on the 2012 merger and acquisition (M&A) Maturity Index published by Ernst & Young in collaboration with the M&A Research Center at Cass Business School. The country is beaten by fellow African countries South Africa, Egypt and Nigeria. Ghana had a maturity index score of 39%, while South Africa, Egypt and Nigeria recorded 60%, 56% and 41% score respectively. The annual index ranks 148 countries on their ability to attract both domestic and cross border M&A deals. The rankings are based on an analysis of a country’s regulatory, political, economic and financial environments, along with its technological capability, socio-economic characteristics, infrastructure and assets. Unusually among its cohort of countries outside the top 100 of the M&A Maturity Index, the report said Ghana’s key M&A strength is a regulatory and political climate that is equal to, or higher than, that of many more advanced economies. “The country scored well on the ability to enforce contracts (61%), control of corruption (60%) and ability to complete transactions with a minimum of interference (65%) and receives middling scores for political stability (48%) and the rest of the regulatory categories,” it said. However, Ghana’s greatest weakness was in the technological area. It scored just 17% for innovation, 25% for internet penetration levels and 33% for high-technology exports which the report says is “unsurprisingly for a country that has widespread poverty at a low level of development.”