The country’s most anticipated and biggest economic conference, the Ghana Economic Forum (GEF), starts today at the Kempinski Gold Coast Hotel in Accra.
This year’s edition focuses on the youth and will be held under the theme ‘Strengthening Home-grown Policies to Underpin the National Digitisation drive and Shared Financial Prosperity’.
The three-day event will be chaired by the Chief Executive of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) Dr. K.K. Sarpong, and will assemble experts from various sectors of the economy to discuss and proffer different solutions for economic development.
The speakers and panels will include the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Ernest Addison; Commissioner of the Ghana Revenue Authority, Mr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Ansah; Former Minister of Finance, Seth Terkper; CEO of the Ghana Gas Company, Dr. Ben Asante; CEO of Dalex Finance Mr. Kenneth Thompson; and Madam Nathalie Akon Gabala, Regional Director West, Central and Northern Africa-Mastercard Foundation
The rest includes economist and lecturer at the University of Ghana Business School, Prof. Godfred Bokpin; Deputy Managing Director of the Ghana Stock Exchange, Ms. Abena Amoah; President of Virtuous Pot, Gloria Obuobisah; Managing Director of Absa Bank Ghana, Ms. Abena Osei-Poku; and Managing Director of Fidelity Bank, Julian Opuni, among many others.
As part of this year’s event, Day-1 will look at the impact of government’s economic recovery policies and digitalisation of the Ghanaian economy; while Day 2 will focus on youth employment with Day 3 discussing issues in the energy sector.
The forum will explore strategic and home-grown policies which have the propensity to stimulate economic growth.
Focus on Day-2
The theme for Day-2 of this year’s GEF will be ‘Driving job creation through entrepreneurship, technology and innovation’.
The panels and speakers will discuss contemporary approaches to financing start-ups in Ghana’s economy.
The first panel will include the Managing Director of UMB Ghana, Nana Dwemoh Benneh; Managing Director of MEST Africa, Ashwin Ravichandran; Ag. Director – Financial Support Service Directorate-Ghana Enterprises Agency, Mr. Eric Anthony Affram; Country Director, Invest in Africa, Ms. Carol Annang; Chief Executive of Darfin Finance, Mr. Frank Kwachie; and CEO–MBIC Group, Dr. Jerry Monfant.
The second panel will be made up of the ECOWAS Youth Ambassador and CEO of Reset Global, Kwame A.A. Opoku; CEO-Soronko Solutions, Regina Honu; Ghana Country Lead for Innovations-Mastercard Foundation, Chirag Shamdasani; Director-Vodafone Business, Tawa Bolarin; Programme Manager-MEST Express, Felix Darko; and Economist, Ebenezer Amankwah-Minkah.
The second panel will discuss the topic ‘Entrepreneurship, Technology and Innovation: Catalysts for job creation and youth empowerment’.
The final panel for the day will shift attention to the agricultural sector and discuss the topic ‘Agri-business as a key to bridging the unemployment gap: Opportunities, challenges and incentives for the youth’.
This panel will have the CEO of Sesi Technologies, Isaac Sesi; CEO of the Agric Business Chamber, Anthony Morrison; CEO-Eden Tree, Ms. Catherine Krobo Edusei; an International Trade Law Expert, Maame Awinador-Kanyirige; and Director of Kosmos Innovation Centre, Benjamin Gyan-Kesse.
Focus on Day-3
The final day of the GEF will be dedicated to the crucial energy sector under the theme ‘Africa Energy Sector; ensuring medium- to long-term sustainability of the West Africa sub-region’.
The first panel of the day will include Mami Dufie Ofori from the Public Utilities and Regulatory Commission; CEO of the Volta River Authority, Ing. Emmanuel Antwi -Darkwa; Acting CEO-GRIDCO, Ing. Mark Baah; Energy Expert, Kwame Jantuah; and Economist, Mr. Kwame Pianim.
The second panel discussion will be held under the theme ‘The role of alternative energy in ensuring medium- to long-term sustainability of the Power Sector’. This will assemble experts such as Dr. Isaac Newton Acquah, who is a former IAEA-UN Nuclear Safeguard Specialist; Dr. Bridget Menyeh; Thierry Adonis, who is the Managing Director-PEG Africa; and Mr. Wisdom Ahiataku-Togobo from the Bui Power Authority.
The final panel will focus on the Petroleum Sector and have Dr. Ben K.D. Asante, CEO-Ghana Gas Company; Kwaku Agyemang Duah, CEO-Association of Oil Marketing Companies; Greg Germani, MD-WAPCO; Kwame Osei Prempeh; and Tony Paul from Trinidad & Tobago.
All set for the first Youth Economic Forum
The maiden edition of the Youth Economic Forum, will be held at the Kempinski Hotel in Accra on 19th October.
The hybrid event will feature top notch panelists, made up of young Ghanaian innovators and entrepreneurs alongside decision makers, discussing pertinent issues on the economy, employment and entrepreneurship.
The Forum was developed to enable young Ghanaians to connect and contribute to national policy dialogues, and to showcase the innovativeness and entrepreneurial agency of young Ghanaian women and men.
The Youth Economic Forum is an initiative of the Mastercard Foundation and the Business Financial Times and will be held on the second day of the Ghana Economic Forum under the theme Driving job creation through entrepreneurship, technology, and innovation. Discussions will focus on agribusiness as a key enabler to creating work opportunities for young people, new and contemporary approaches to financing start-ups and entrepreneurship, technology and innovation as catalyst for job creation. The Forum will be streamed live on the Business and Financial Times Facebook page (Facebook.com/BFTGhana), and virtual participation is open to all young people.
