Senior Ghanaian officials have urged the nation to move beyond political divisions when supporting homegrown businesses, using payment platform Hubtel as a case study.
The calls came during celebrations marking Hubtel’s 20th anniversary as a wholly Ghanaian-owned fintech company.
Attorney General Dominic Ayine addressed recent unfounded allegations that had politicized the company’s operations. “We need to depoliticize business in this country,” Ayine stated. “There are no NDC businesses, and there are no NPP businesses.” His remarks referenced baseless claims last year that falsely linked Hubtel to political figures from the previous administration.
Founded in 2005 by three Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology graduates, Hubtel has grown from a campus startup offering bulk SMS services to a major financial technology provider. The company now processes nearly 160 billion cedis in transactions annually, serving over 8,000 businesses and 12 million customers across Ghana.
Communications Minister Sam George praised Hubtel’s role in Ghana’s digital transformation. “At every stage of our nation’s digital growth, Hubtel has been more than just a participant it has been a leader,” George said. He highlighted the company’s contributions to financial inclusion and e-commerce accessibility.
The celebration also spotlighted Hubtel’s employment impact, with Youth Empowerment Minister George Opare Addo noting how the company has created tech-focused jobs that didn’t exist a decade ago. Hubtel currently employs 722 professionals and supports a network of 932 delivery riders across eight cities.
As Ghana seeks to nurture more homegrown tech success stories, the unified government support for Hubtel suggests growing recognition of fintech’s economic importance. The challenge remains creating an environment where innovative companies can scale without becoming politicized, particularly as Ghana works to position itself as a regional digital hub. With proper support, such enterprises could help drive broader financial inclusion while creating new opportunities for Ghana’s growing tech talent pool.
