Got GHS 1,000–5,000? Here Are 6 Lucrative Businesses You Can Start In Ghana

Dorcas Agambila 10:27 - 24 October 2025

money

If you’ve ever found yourself saying, “I want to start something small but I don’t have the capital,” this one’s for you. Truth is, you don’t need millions of cedis to start a profitable business in Ghana. With a budget of GHS 1,000–5,000, you can plant the seeds of a thriving hustle , whether you’re a student, a fresh graduate, or someone just tired of waiting for “the system” to change.

Let’s talk about six realistic, interesting, and money-making ideas that Ghanaians are quietly cashing in on right now.

1. Food, Snacks & Meal-Delivery Business

Ghana will never stop eating. From jollof to waakye to kelewele, there’s always demand for good food , especially from people too busy (or lazy) to cook.

With as little as GHS 1,000 to GHS 3,500, you can start cooking and packaging home meals, pastries, or snacks for sale. Platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram and TikTok have become food courts of their own , post your menu, get your friends to share, and watch the orders roll in.

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A post shared by Food baskets and Gifts in Accra (@feeyafoods)

Pro tip: Pick a niche. Focus on healthy meals, office lunch delivery, or late-night snacks. Add clean packaging and reliable delivery, and you’ve got yourself a steady stream of hungry customers.

2. Digital Services — Graphic Design & Social Media Management

We live in the age of flyers, logos, and online visibility. Every business, from your neighbourhood salon to your cousin’s sneaker shop, needs a digital footprint.

If you have a laptop, a smartphone, and an internet connection, you can start offering graphic design or social-media management services for as little as GHS 1,000–3,000.

Source: Hiregh

Learn a few design tools (Canva, Photoshop, CapCut), build sample projects, and reach out to small brands. Many entrepreneurs will happily pay someone who can make their Instagram look professional or manage their Facebook page consistently.

Bonus: You can scale this by freelancing on platforms like Upwork or Fiverr, or even by offering digital printing and branding services locally.

3. Mobile Money & Accessories Kiosk

momo-vendors

Let’s face it , in Ghana, MoMo is life. Everyone uses it, and the demand for reliable agents keeps growing.

Setting up a mobile money kiosk doesn’t require huge capital. For around GHS 2,000–4,000, you can rent or build a small wooden structure, get registered with a network provider, and start transacting. Add a little twist by selling airtime, phone accessories, or SIM cards on the side to boost profits.

Location is everything here. Choose a spot with high foot traffic, near a lorry station, market, or campus , and make sure your service is fast and trustworthy.

4. Small-Scale Poultry or Livestock Farming

Agriculture never goes out of style, and food demand isn’t dropping anytime soon. Even on a small scale, you can raise 10–50 birds or start with rabbits or snails.

Poultry production (Source: Poultryworld)

For about GHS 2,000–5,000, you can get cages, chicks, feed, and vaccines. With proper care and a good local market (restaurants, households, or roadside vendors), you’ll see your investment hatch into steady income.

If you prefer the green route, you can also try vegetable or herb farming , especially in urban areas where fresh produce is gold.

5. Second-hand Clothing & Fashion Accessories

“Obroni wawu” never dies, literally and figuratively. Ghanaians love thrift shopping because it’s affordable and full of hidden gems.

You can start by buying bales of second-hand clothing or accessories from Kantamanto or Tema markets for as little as GHS 2,000. Sort, clean, and resell the best items online or in your neighbourhood.

Ghana's second-hand clothing market (Source: Businessinsider)

If you have a good eye for fashion, add your creative touch: pair items, model them yourself, or promote them on TikTok. The youth market is hot for stylish, affordable outfits, and you can even expand into handmade jewellery or tote bags once the business grows.

6. Mobile Car Wash & Detailing Service

Imagine this: you show up at someone’s office or home, wash and polish their car while they chill , and they pay you for convenience. That’s the mobile car wash business, and it’s catching on fast in Ghana’s urban centres.

Felika Mahama, UDS graduate ventures into mobile car washing business after years of job dissatisfaction (Source: Myjoyonline.com)

With around GHS 2,000–5,000, you can buy basic equipment (soap, buckets, brushes, vacuum, towels) and start offering services wherever there are cars , offices, churches, estates, or car parks.

Go the extra mile with interior detailing or waterless cleaning options, and your clients will keep calling. It’s flexible, scalable, and perfect for people who don’t want to sit in traffic queues just to wash their car.

The Bottom Line

You don’t need to wait for “capital” in the millions. What you need is creativity, consistency, and customer care.

Start small, reinvest your profits, and keep learning. Many successful Ghanaian entrepreneurs began exactly this way , with a simple idea, a few thousand cedis, and the courage to try.

So, what’s stopping you? With GHS 1,000–5,000 in your pocket and a bit of hustle in your spirit, your dream business could start today.

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