Investors Earned GH¢37bn in Dividends, Nearly GH¢800m in Bond Coupons

The Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) says the country’s capital market is increasingly delivering meaningful returns to investors while providing businesses with alternative sources of long-term financing.
According to Managing Director of the GSE, Abena Amoah, investors received GH¢37 billion in dividends from listed companies over the past 12 months, while holders of corporate bonds and commercial paper earned nearly GH¢800 million in coupon payments.
Ms Amoah disclosed this at the listing ceremony of Petrosol Platinum Energy PLC’s GH¢200 million note programme on the Ghana Fixed Income Market
She said the figures demonstrate the growing role of the capital market in creating wealth and mobilising funds for businesses.
“My equities team informs me that in the last 12 months, by way of dividends, investors have received GH¢37 billion in dividends in the last 12 months from companies listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange,” she said.
She added that investors in corporate bonds and commercial paper received almost GH¢800 million in coupon payments during the same period.
Ms Amoah said the returns highlight the importance of the capital market beyond its traditional role of helping companies raise funds.
“That shows the importance of our capital markets as an important tool for wealth generation,” she said.
She explained that investors can reinvest the returns they receive, creating a cycle through which savings are channelled into productive economic activities.
Dividend payments represent returns to shareholders who own stakes in listed companies, while coupon payments are interest earned by investors who provide financing to businesses through debt instruments.
The disclosure comes as the Ghana Stock Exchange continues to encourage more businesses to use the capital market as an alternative to traditional bank financing.
Ms Amoah said the exchange provides companies with several avenues for raising funds, including equities, corporate bonds, commercial paper, green bonds and sustainable bonds.
She disclosed that 15 corporate issuers have raised about GH¢24 billion through the corporate bond market since its establishment in 2015.
She also identified Ghana’s pension funds, which manage more than GH¢120 billion in assets, as a significant pool of domestic capital that could support businesses seeking financing.
Her message to businesses was straightforward: “The market is open. The capital is here.”
The comments were made during the listing of Petrosol Platinum Energy PLC’s GH¢200 million note programme on the Ghana Fixed Income Market.
The transaction provides the indigenous downstream petroleum company with longer-term financing while giving investors another opportunity to invest in corporate fixed-income securities.
The listing adds to efforts to deepen Ghana’s corporate debt market and encourage more local businesses to raise capital domestically.
For the GSE, the returns generated for investors demonstrate that the capital market can serve both sides of the economy by providing businesses with funding to expand while giving savers and investors opportunities to earn returns.
Ms Amoah is therefore urging more Ghanaian companies to tap into the market as the exchange seeks to expand the role of domestic capital in financing economic growth.