Meet Abena Amoah: First female CEO of Ghana Stock Exchange

For an industry that often prides itself on numbers, Ghana Stock Exchange has found a leader who reads both balance sheets and people with equal care. Abena Amoah did not arrive with noise; she arrived with a record. 

Appointed managing director on Nov. 24, 2022, she became the first woman to lead the exchange—an outcome that, in hindsight, looks less like a breakthrough and more like a long-overdue correction.

She had already joined as deputy managing director in August 2020, bringing more than two decades of experience across trading floors, advisory rooms and board tables.

Amoah builds career across capital markets

Amoah’s career traces the arc of Ghana’s modern capital market. She has worked as an investment analyst and stockbroker, then moved on to lead transactions that shaped listings, mergers and private placements across sectors.

Her work spans equity and debt deals, asset management, research and project development areas that rarely sit neatly in one résumé but somehow do in hers. 

Before the exchange, she held senior roles at firms including Renaissance Capital and BlackIvy Group, where she helped develop the WestPark Industrial Park in Ghana’s Western Region. Beyond banking, she later founded Baobab Advisors after years of practice in investment research and corporate finance advisory work.

She has also served on several boards, from financial institutions to development organizations, and advised governments and regulators across West Africa on strengthening financial markets.

In June 2025, she was elected to the board of the International Capital Market Association, becoming the first West African to hold that seat. In January 2026, she joined Ghana’s Presidential Economic Advisory Group, reflecting her standing in national policy discussions on financial markets.

Ghana exchange expands, joins global body

At the exchange, Amoah oversees everything from trading activity to compliance, technology and product development. It sounds routine until one considers that “routine” in capital markets often means managing risk, trust and timing, all at once. 

Under her leadership, the exchange has expanded trading activity and strengthened its systems. It is now a full member of the World Federation of Exchanges, a step that signals alignment with global standards. Trading volumes have also climbed, with notable activity in both equity and debt markets. 

Today, 49 companies are listed on the exchange, with a market capitalization of about GHS 247.73 billion ($22.45 billion). 

Partnerships strengthen Africa’s market integration

Amoah has pushed for broader participation in the market, backing investor education initiatives that have reached thousands of students. Through partnerships with groups such as the Young Investors Network, the exchange has turned financial literacy into something more practical than a slogan. 

Her approach is simple: more informed investors make stronger markets. It is hardly a radical idea—yet, in many places, still treated as one. 

She has also engaged with global and regional stakeholders, from the African Development Bank to industry groups, on expanding products and deepening market links across Africa. Her view is clear: regional integration is not optional if African markets are to compete globally.

Amoah pushes listings, sustainability drive

Amoah has spoken about plans to attract new listings regularly and make the process more accessible. 

Closer to home, under her watch the exchange has backed initiatives aimed at improving transparency and sustainability. In April 2026, it joined partners including ACCA Ghana to launch the Sustainability Working Group Africa, a platform focused on reporting standards and long-term investment practices.

Her focus extends to building a market that can serve both large corporates and smaller enterprises. The exchange already runs multiple platforms, including the main market, a growth market for SMEs and a fixed income market for government and corporate bonds. 

It is a system designed to meet issuers where they are though, like any system, it still depends on people willing to use it.

Ghana Stock Exchange mobilizes capital growth

Established in 1990, the Ghana Stock Exchange was created to support capital formation and economic development. It now operates multiple market segments, including equities, fixed income, commercial paper, alternative listings for small and medium-sized firms, and a platform for green and sustainable bonds.

Amoah’s task is to keep the exchange relevant in a region where competition for capital is intensifying. She has chosen a steady path, strengthening systems, widening participation and building partnerships.