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IntroductionThe concept of creative destruction was coined byJoseph Schumpeter (1942) to connote an incessant product and process innovationmechanism by which new production units replace outdated ones which has beenregarded as an essential fact of capitalism. How has the dreaded COVID-19exposed the structural weaknesses of the African state? How would COVID-19displace many businesses and sectors in Africa? Does this suggest a need tofold up or cut down operations and remain lean? Using particular insights fromGhana, this piece seeks to provide an overview of the COVID pandemic and publicpolicy interventions so far and more importantly some pointers for reflections onthe fallout of COVID-19 on Ghanaian businesses.Overview of COVID-19 in Ghana and public policy responseThe initial two cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in Ghana on 12March 2020, which have since spiralled to 1154 cases, with 9 deaths and 120recoveries as of 22nd April 2020. This works to a recovery rate ofabout 10.3% and mortality rate of approximately 0.78%.Some interventionsOn March 15, a notice was issued which strongly discouraged internationaltravels to Ghana until further notice and non-admittance of travellers fromthose countries which had recorded at least 200 positive cases of COVID-19. Thelatter restriction, however, was not applicable to travellers who are Ghanaiancitizens as well as those with resident permits. The day also saw a launch of adedicated website[1]for reporting regular information and update on Ghana’s COVID-19 situation. In the night of same day, the President of Ghana, Nana Akufo Addo bannedall public gatherings including conferences, workshops, funerals, festivals,political rallies, church activities, schools and other related events toreduce the spread of COVID-19 at a press briefing on the state of COVID-19. Following detection of community transmission, as at 27 March, Ghanahad confirmed a total of 137 cases. In order to contain communityspread, the President further announced a two-week partial lockdown to placerestrictions on movement in key cities of Greater Accra Region, Greater Kumasiand another hotspot (Kasoa). This partial lockdown was, however given anotherone-week extension and was finally lifted on 20th April, 2020although the earlier restrictions on mass gatherings remained valid[2].Public policy interventionsPre-COVID 19 and‘a priori’ public awareness creationThe Ghana Health Service (GHS) and Ministry of Health had startedwith awareness creation and indicated their preparedness to deal with the COVID-19if it finally found its way into the country, especially, when the disease hadbecome visibly closer as some neighbouring African countries such as Nigeriahad confirmed some positive cases. The GHS in a press release reiterated someprecautionary measures that citizens could adopt to hold standfast and to staysafe. These were: regular washing of hands with soap under running water andthe use of hand sanitizers on regular basis; the practice of cough/sneezeetiquette; and the need to self-quarantine for at least 14 days if one cameinto country from abroad.Terms of reference forGhana’s COVID-19 agendaThe Government of Ghana formed a COVID-19 ResponseProgramme which was to be coordinated by Dr AnarfiAsamoa-Baah, a former Deputy Director-General of the World Health Organisation(WHO). In all its activities, the COVID-19 Response Programme set out five keyobjectives which underpinned its activities: limit and stop the importation ofthe virus;contain its spread; &#160;provide adequate care for the sick; &#160;limit theimpact of the virus on social and economic life and;&#160;inspirethe&#160;expansion&#160;of&#160;our&#160;domestic capability and deepen ourself-reliance.&#160;Chasing the virus to avoid the virus chasing the populationThe Ghana Health Service and Government of Ghana adopted an approachof rather chasing the virus among the population which involved mandatoryquarantine, enhanced surveillance and contact tracing to test and treat peoplewho were even asymptomatic. Out of its contact routine surveillance model, atleast 16,870 tests had been conducted, the enhanced contact tracing model hadresulted in at least 49,699 tests whilst the mandatory quarantine had resultedin 2022 tests which all had confirmed 383; 544 and 115 positive COVID-19 casesrespectively[3].COVID-19 and the vulnerable people: Social interventionsGenerally, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a debilitating impact onthe socio-economic, cultural and political lives of all people world over andGhana has not been an exception. With over 70 percent of its population in theinformal sector whose sources of livelihoods require being physically out thereon a daily basis, cannot sit in the comfort of their homes and expect theiraccounts to be credited at the end of the month, many people became worse offwhen there was three-week lockdown of economic activities in parts of Accra,Kumasi, Tema and Kasoa. Even many individuals who work in the formal sector(private sector) due to a ban on many social activities and particularbusinesses, have been rendered redundant with some already laid off.Consequently, following the ‘three-week’ partial lockdown, the Ministry ofGender, Children and Social Protection; faith-based organizations; corporateentities and individuals identified the lots of vulnerable individuals to offerthem hot meals and other food items to support them. The Government of Ghanahas also made interventions to cushion Ghanaians in terms of paying for their utilitybills, this includes absorbing the water bills of all Ghanaians for the nextthree months and as well as fully absorbing and partial absorption ofelectricity charges depending on the household consumption. State-society relations for robust effortsThe government of Ghana announced a COVID-19 Fundto be administered by a board of trustees and chaired by a recent past ChiefJustice of the country. Launching the fund, the President of Ghana used hisnext three-month salary as the seed capital. Other ministers of state and theirdeputies as well as Speaker of Parliament used part of their salaries to shoreup the fund. The fund has also seen many corporate organizations including manyassociations donating huge sums of moneys which are publicly disclosed.COVID-19and Business Management in GhanaThe COVID-19 is projected to have a substantialadverse impact on Ghana’s economy which would have implications on businessesas well. Ghana’s estimated GDP growth is set to plummet from a target of 6.8%to about 2.6% in 2020. The country is gradually feeling the bruntof the impact of the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) which has compelledsome businesses to summarily halt or downsize their operations. Thosebusinesses in the hospitality industry have been gravely affected following a closureof Ghana’s borders, a general slowdown in tourism and demand for internationaltravel as well as ban on large conferences. Those businesses engaged in tradingactivities are also projected to be gravely affected following a global andlocal decline in trading volumes and values due to disruption in supply chainglobally. Those managers and CEOs in these sectors are actually in deeperethical dilemma of whether to lay off workers, to cut employee pays or anyother related model.&#160; The set of restrictions and bans on social andeconomic activities announced by the President affected many businessesespecially those market women and men who usually depend on daily sales andhustles to make a square meal. Conference organizers and many firms in largefuneral value chain have gravely been affected as well.Those engaged in importation and trade business (e.g.Ghana Union of Traders Association, GUTA) have had their own challenge as ithas become difficult to source for supplies from their usual suppliers abroadas the pandemic has resulted in global slowed production and even the need forcompanies to primarily produce for their home countries as priority withvirtually little or no surplus to supply to other countries. The latter wouldcompel countries to think and rethink about structural economic transformationand a need to put their destiny in their own hands and to develop manufacturinghubs from within. Those supplies that had been shipped already reached theports whilst the country was under partial lockdown which would make itdifficult to sell products to any distributor or retailer. Their dilemma wascompounded by the fact that while trying to grapple with how to distribute andsell off their goods to recoup their investment amidst lockdown, an initialnotice of liability to pay for demurrage if goods were not cleared on time atthe ports[4]Mitigation measures In order to ensure businesses to get back to theirfeet after COVID-19, the Government of Ghana has proposed a reduction in thepolicy rate by 150 basis points to 14% and drop in regulatory reserverequirement from 10% to 8% to increase supply of credit to private sector.The Government has engaged with commercial banks toprovide syndicated facility of GHS3bn to support key industries; to grantsix-month moratorium on principal repayments for selected businesses; and toreduce interest rates by 200 basis points, also to increase credit supply tothe private sector.The Government has proposed to roll out a GH¢600million (equivalent to USD 104 million) soft loan scheme for Small and MediumScale businesses in the country which will have a one-year moratorium andtwo-year repayment.As part of reducing the economic impact of the COVID 19 pandemic, businessesand companies whose consumption rates of electricity are higher would have halfof these costs absorbed by government whilst water bills will be fully covered.Conclusion: Creativedestruction and New ventures? Necessity, mother of inventionsWhilst there has been a general decline in businessactivities, those businesses in the telecommunication sector appear to be mainbeneficiaries of the lockdown and restrictions on mass gatherings. Many peoplehave resorted to the use of online or virtual forms of meetings which has ledto increase in demand for data services. Following the increase in demand for hand sanitizerand face masks relevant to preventing the spread of the novel corona virus,many businesses diversified in their operations. For example, AdonkoBitters Limited which is a beverage manufacturing had to temporary reduce itsproduction of alcoholic beverages to venture into the production of handsanitizers as demand for such products was on the rise. Few other businessesalso discovered some new frontiers which could temporarily bring some income. Indeed, they say necessity is the mother of all inventions, theoutbreak of COVID-19 has unleashed the hidden potentials of Ghanaians with fewindividuals and institutions coming up with greater innovations which couldbecome greater industrial hubs if receive the needed business management modeland investment. For example, one Richard Kwarteng has invented a solar poweredautomated hand washing machine which caught the attention of the GhanaianPresident and has since received a fast-tracked certification from the GhanaStandards Authority to commence commercial production. This is illustrated infigure 1. Figure 2 illustrates locally manufactured ventilators to help thoseCOVID 19 patients that may become critically ill.Figure 1: Solar automated hand washing machineFigure 2: Ghanaian Professor to develop low cost ventilators for COVID-19If innovation meets a robust business model, this can stimulate massproduction and internationalization.The pandemic has also brought to the fore that local people andbusinesses when given the needed support could foster production of essentialproducts and services required by the African economy. For instance, followingincessant global demand for PPEs and acute shortage in supply to poorercountries, government of Ghana saw a need to liaise with local businesses toencourage them into the production of relevant pharmaceutical products andPPEs. Figure 5 illustrates the Minister of Trade and Industry inspecting localproduction of PPEs. If local businesses have risen to the occasion duringpandemic, it suggests they are indeed capable and should be given the congenialenvironment and concessions to operate.Whilst COVID-19 has generally slowed down many business activities,it also presents many other newer business opportunities which only requirecompanies to reconsider their business models and to strategize. They need tocarry out environmental scanning to assess the many newer businessopportunities and to align with existing strengths and to capitalize on thegovernment stated stimulus package to engage in some operations whose demandare higher.&#160;&#160; It will also ignite the call for self-reliance and promotion of manufacturingactivities in Ghana. For example, the government of Ghana greatly engaged withlocal manufacturing companies to assist in the domestic production of PPEswhich hitherto had essentially been imported. The demand for hand sanitizers, hand washing devices and other PPEshas come to stay and presents business opportunities for entrepreneurs andcompanies to adopt different business models and marketing mix to make good useof such business opportunities.More importantly, rational African government are more likely tooffer some protection and support for production and manufacturing companies asthese are the only sureties for self-sufficiency. The fallout of this pandemicshould be a rise of large conglomerates and budding industrial hubs in manufacturingof relevant products, a need to nurture home grown businesses for production ofstrategic products as well as crucial concession for research andpharmaceutical industries. Prospective entrepreneurs, investors and existingbusinesses need to think deeply and to assess the context of respective Africancountries in order to align their capacities and resources to the needs of theeconomy. [1] https://www.ghanahealthservice.org/covid19/[2] all public gatherings including conferences, workshops, funerals,festivals, political rallies, church activities, schools and other relatedevents which had been imposed on the 15 of March however remained intact.[3] https://www.ghanahealthservice.org/covid19/[4] Upon petitions by the GUTA and media interviews, the Ghana ShippersAuthority finally announced the suspension of demurrage/detention and rentcharges at the ports beginning 30 March 2020 following the outbreak of thecoronavirus pandemic.