President John Dramani Mahama says 10 state-owned enterprises (SOEs) will be listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) as part of efforts to improve their governance and reduce political interference.

Speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, President Mahama said listing the companies would change how they are managed.

He said it would also make it more difficult for successive governments to remove management and dissolve boards at will.

“One, because we want to improve their governance. And two, because we want to reduce political interference in those state-owned enterprises. If we list more of these companies, it makes it difficult for government to interfere and sack the management and dissolve the boards and all that,” he said.

President Mahama said the financial performance of state-owned enterprises had improved following measures implemented through the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA).

He said the SOEs, which had collectively recorded losses in previous years, posted a net profit of almost GH¢19 billion in the latest reporting period.

SIGA’s 2025 State Ownership Report separately puts the sector’s net profit after tax at GH¢19.8 billion.

Despite the improved performance, President Mahama said the government was proceeding with plans to list 10 SOEs on the Ghana Stock Exchange.

He also said the listings would create opportunities for Ghanaians, including those in the diaspora, to invest in the state-owned enterprises through the Ghana Stock Exchange.

President Mahama said state-owned enterprises had historically been associated with guaranteed salaries and benefits regardless of their financial performance.

“Even when they’re making losses, they’re asking for salary increments and asking for bonuses when you’ve made a loss,” he said.

The planned listings form part of wider efforts to improve governance and performance across the state-owned enterprise sector.