A delegation from the African Centre for Economic Transformation (ACET), has paid a courtesy call on the Managing Editor of the B&FT, William Selassy Adjadogo, to amongst other things, discuss ways to deepen collaboration between the paper and the Accra-based think tank.
During the visit, the Director of Communication at ACET, Maura Leary, commended the B&FT for its consistency in churning out dispassionate, policy-shaping stories, which continue to define the socio-economic landscape across the continent.
“It a difficult era for business in general because there is a lot of mistrust as we have an incredible amount of information coming through all sides, some unverifiable. I think institutions like the B&FT, which is a trusted name, should continue to live up to that trust, in the eyes of the government, corporate institutions, and the general public. You should continue to cut through the noise,” she remarked.
Describing the media as a primary source for ideas and discussions, she said it has a crucial role to play both in informing the public but also hearing from the public about the things that matter to them and charged practitioners to execute their task as duty-bearers and act honest brokers between policy and the public.
“The media sits in this very important place between policymakers, as well as think and do tanks and where people have their concerns because you are hearing from both sides. The media, in some ways, can be an honest broker between the two; make sure that policymakers and others are listening. It must ensure that the thought-leadership, evidence, analysis that institutions like ACET are putting out is getting to the public to help them form their thinking so that we just do not base policy on anecdotes.”
The ACET Director of Communication stated that her outfit, in its goal of becoming the continent’s preeminent public policy institute will leverage its expertise in research, analysis, advice, and advocacy to “expand voices and drive necessary conversations.”
She added that for Africa to attain the seemingly elusive economic development, attention must be focused on creating and implementing homegrown solutions. Efforts must also be intensified in ensuring that said solutions are given due recognition within the global policy architecture as the continent cannot continue to be subjected to policies that fail to take its peculiar dynamics into consideration, she added.
“I think it is our job to be promoting African-led solutions and African-led expertise and making sure those ideas are getting into the global fora. I can think about things like the COP26, which is happening right now, how much is Africa’s voice being represented?” she queried.
“We need to make sure Africa’s priorities are visible when we have global conversations, whether it is on climate, gender, innovation, or youth in skills, we need to be driving that a bit more.”
On his part, Mr. Adjadogo commended ACET for its commitment toward driving the holistic, economic agenda of the continent through data-driven research. He pledged the paper’s continuous support in advancing the course, without sacrificing the values of the paper. “We recognise that our role or position is a privileged one, as a public policy tool, and we will continue to provide consumers of business and economic data with clear, concise, and unbiased reportage,” he said.
