Africa Can Emerge Stronger from Economic Crisis, Says Ghana’s Minister of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation

Dr Kwaku Afriyie, Ghana’s Minister of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, expressed confidence in Africa’s ability to emerge stronger from the current economic crisis facing the region. Speaking at the third Africa Economic Summit in Accra, Dr Afriyie urged African leaders to unite their citizens for economic prosperity, using politics to achieve this objective.

He noted that Africa required an African-centric development path to solve its problems effectively. “We should not use Western standards to define things and make things difficult for us. We can grow at our own pace and then get our own development act together,” he said. Dr Afriyie encouraged African governments and people to be hopeful of a better tomorrow, saying Africa’s journey had been marked by centuries of colonization, slavery, and economic exploitation.

The CEO of the Africa Economic Summit Group, Mr Brian Reuben, added that the current crisis presented an opportunity to rewrite the story of Africa. “The solutions to our problems must come from within us. We need to be able to tell our story ourselves from our perspective, say Africa has huge resources and we cannot allow ourselves just to be controlled by external influences,” he said.

Mr Edward Ashong Larbi, Director of Investor Service of Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, outlined several initiatives taken by the Ghana Investment Promotion Authority (GIPC), including its Aftercare Service to ensure a business-friendly atmosphere in Ghana for all investors. He urged African governments to remove all bottlenecks to enhance trade.

Dr Sam Ikoku, Founder and CEO, Blackstone Equity Limited, asked governments to deepen their partnerships with various private entities, noting that such collaborations are catalysts for win-win economic growth and job creation.

The two-day annual conference assembled government officials, businessmen, heads of financial institutions and investors from about 10 countries to provide lasting solutions to Africa’s economic challenges from an African perspective. A white paper would be released at the end of the summit, detailing coordinated actions that governments and institutions should implement for the improvement of Africa’s economy and addressing other challenges on the continent.

For the most part, the speakers at the Africa Economic Summit emphasized the need for an African-centric approach to solving the economic challenges facing the continent. They urged African governments to remove bottlenecks to enhance trade, deepen their partnerships with private entities, and develop initiatives that create a business-friendly atmosphere for investors.

The summit provided an opportunity to rewrite the story of Africa, presenting it as a continent with huge resources that should not be controlled by external influences. The release of a white paper at the end of the summit would provide coordinated actions that governments and institutions should implement for the improvement of Africa’s economy and addressing other challenges on the continent.

Source: GNA