By Benjamin Nii Nai Anyetei
The 2025 Africa We Want Summit has rallied entrepreneurs and young innovators across the continent to fully harness technology, digitalisation and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to drive Africa’s next phase of economic transformation.
At Mountville International University College in Accra, the summit brought together entrepreneurs, policymakers, industry experts and youth leaders under the theme “Unlocking Africa’s Market: Technology, Trade & Entrepreneurship.” Discussions centered on the need for a more integrated, innovation-driven African marketplace.
Representing the Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry (MOTAI), Mr. Kwame Oppong Ntim, Director of Agribusiness, speaking on behalf of the Deputy Minister, Sampson Ahi, urged African entrepreneurs to take advantage of the continent’s shifting economic landscape.
With Africa’s population of 1.4 billion — the youngest in the world — and a rapidly expanding digital economy, he said the continent is at a crucial turning point.
He emphasised that the AfCFTA is reshaping Africa from fragmented national markets into a unified trading bloc.
“A business that starts in Accra should be able to scale to Kigali, Cape Town, Tunis and beyond,” he said, calling on entrepreneurs to adopt a borderless business mindset.
Mr. Oppong Ntim outlined key policy initiatives MOTAI is working on to empower Ghanaian and African businesses.
He announced the soon-to-be-launched Agribusiness Policy, which will emphasise stricter packaging and product-quality standards to strengthen the competitiveness of local enterprises.
He also highlighted the Ghana Enterprise Agency’s (GEA) new progressive licensing scheme aimed at supporting MSMEs, including sponsored assistance for selected businesses to become export-ready.
He added that the Business Regulatory Reform Commission is working to streamline standards and improve the overall business environment to attract greater investment.
Capacity building, discipline and integrity, he stressed, remain essential for entrepreneurs determined to scale their ventures across Africa.
One of the highlights of the summit was the graduation of the 19th Cohort of the AEA Launchpad Entrepreneurship Programme.
Thirty-two participants completed intensive training focused on enterprise growth, competitiveness and internationalisation. As part of their training, graduates also studied two global business languages—Business Chinese and Business French—to enhance their ability to operate across markets.
President of the African Entrepreneurship Academy, Mr. Wilson Kafui Senya, called for stronger stakeholder collaboration to deepen entrepreneurial training and support.
“We have a lot to do,” he said. “We are committed to creating an enabling environment for young entrepreneurs.”
He encouraged participants and partners to continue working together to “co-create and build the Africa we want, and make Ghana great and strong.”
