The Chief Finance Officer of MTN Ghana, Antoinette Kwofie has emphasized the need for African countries to move away from fragmented economic strategies and instead work towards a common goal, leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to drive investment and trade.
She has further emphasised that countries in the continent need to stop thinking as 54 different countries and operationalize AfCFTA, harmonize regulations, as well as removing trade barriers to create an incentive for Africa to invest in Africa; underscored the importance of collaboration among African nations in achieving sustainable growth.
The Chief Finance Officer of MTN Ghana put in this strong trade development proposition when she participated in a panel discussion at the 2025 Africa Prosperity Dialogues (APD) on the topic, “Filling the Funding Gap for Infrastructure”.
Madam Kwofie, further called for the unification of regulations across the continent to facilitate the attraction of capital to invest in the infrastructure on the continent.
“As Africans, we need to start thinking as one unit. Success can be achieved by playing as a team. So, we need to start thinking about how we can collaborate across the different countries we have on the continent and operate seamlessly as one unit, bring our ideas and funds together and fund projects across the continent,” she stated.
Madam Kwofie also highlighted the crucial role of human capital in Africa’s transformation, stressing the need for investment in skills that will propel technological advancement on the continent.
“Human capital is one of the things we need to get absolutely right if we want to achieve transformation on the continent. Investing in human capital, not just for the technical skills but for the technological skills amongst others,” she noted.
She pointed out that Africa has immense talent yet continues to rely on external technological solutions. According to her, it is time to harness local expertise to develop solutions tailored to the continent’s needs.
“We tend to buy technology from the West when we have so much talent on the continent. MTN has a group of software developers, and they are all Africans developing technology for Africa’s future. It is possible.”
MTN Ghana remains committed to supporting initiatives that foster economic growth, digital transformation, and infrastructure development in Africa. As a leading telecommunications company, MTN continues to champion digital innovation and investments that contribute to a prosperous and interconnected Africa.
The Africa Prosperity Dialogue is organised by the Africa Prosperity Network and is aimed at achieving deeper economic integration between African states in outlining its industrialisation priorities. Among the topics under discussion were the policies that will ensure the successful implementation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The event brought together many Government and business leaders including the Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson, APN Advisory Counsel, Stephen Blewett, CEO of MTN Ghana, Gwen Mwaba, Managing Director, Afreximbank and Marie-Laure Akin-Olugbade, Senior Vice President, AfDB among other key stakeholders and partners.
