The President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, assembled a team of promising social entrepreneurs for a Trade mission hosted by the Royal African Society at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London, as part of international events marking Ghana’s 60th independence anniversary.
This special mission forms a critical part of Ghana’s strategic focus in positioning itself as a beacon of stability and economic success in the sub-region.
Top on the political agenda of the incumbent regime is a bold declaration to build ‘a Ghana beyond aid’, with the aim to inspire ‘an Africa beyond aid’. Speaking at the event, the President gave a keynote speech on his country’s unbending move to industrialization and investment. He also shed light on the prospects and challenges of this transition for the African continent as a whole.
President Nana Akufo-Addo noted: “We want to build an Africa beyond aid; an Africa which looks to the full use of its own resources. We want to build economies that are not dependent on charity and hand-outs, but economies that will look to the proper management of their resources as the way to engineer social and
economic growth.”
In order to achieve this ginormous task of economic transformation and private sector restructuring, the country has rekindled the entrepreneurial spirit and private sector growth which forms the bedrock of Ghana’s advancing economy. The contribution of young and promising entrepreneurs in Ghana is not lost on the President as evidenced in the critical mass of entrepreneurs that enriched his entourage. Among the privileged few were the Founder and CEO of Ghana Bamboo Bikes Initiative, Bernice Dapaah, who made a great impression on the President with her rapidly growing enterprise. A highlight of the day was the iron-clad partnership between Ghana Bamboo Bikes Initiative and the African Bicycle Contribution Foundation which is already affecting positive economic and educational outcomes in Ghana. This long-term strategic collaboration will not only engender a rich bicycle culture in Ghana, but will build a network of business partners, distributors and market intelligentsia.
