Permits, licences and insurance
Your district assembly permit, sector licences and the insurance the law requires.
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📌What you need to know
- Each assembly sets its own permit fees in its yearly fee-fixing resolution, so the amount depends on where you trade.
- Many assemblies want the yearly permit paid early in the year, and charge a penalty for paying late — ask yours for the date.
- Act 1061 requires commercial properties — shops, offices, schools, hospitals, hotels — to be insured, even while under construction.
- Insurance certificates must be displayed where people using the building can see them.
- Exemptions from assembly fees are not automatic; you must apply in writing.
In Ghana: the numbersChecked 14 October 2026
Operating permitFrom your MMDA, renewed yearly
Assembly feesSet by each assembly
Property insuranceCompulsory for commercial buildings (Act 1061)
⚠️Common mistakes
Waiting for the assembly's task force to visit before getting a permit.
Selling food or cosmetics without checking whether the product needs FDA registration.
Assuming the landlord's insurance covers your stock — it usually covers only the building.
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Tip. Make a list of every permit and its renewal month, and put the dates in your calendar.