Africa is no longer waiting for a seat at the global governance table, it’s building its own.
That was the resounding message from the inaugural Executive Forum on Strategic Compliance in West Africa, held in Accra and spearheaded by Tiffany A. Archer, Esq., a globally respected compliance expert and founder of Eunomia Risk Advisory.
The high-level gathering of government officials, business leaders, legal professionals, diplomats, and academics marked a bold step in repositioning Africa, not as a passive recipient of global governance standards but as a co-architect of ethical, culturally relevant, and future-ready systems.
“Africa is Building Its Own Table”
Tiffany Archer, also a lecturer at NYU and Fordham Law School, opened the forum with a powerful message:
“This is not just a convening. It is a signal that Africa is not waiting to be invited to the table, we are building our own.”
Archer emphasized that Africa’s governance frameworks must reflect its values and realities. Her organisation, Eunomia, is pioneering a shift from performative compliance to measurable impact, especially in West Africa.
Reimagining Governance Beyond the West
Keynote speaker Prof. Douglas Boateng, a supply chain expert and author, challenged African institutions to move beyond imported Western governance models. He called for Afrocentric solutions grounded in local context and announced that his new governance textbook developed with Eunomia, has been approved for Ghanaian secondary schools by NaCCA.
“Ghana led political liberation. Now it must lead economic liberation through governance,” he said.
Compliance that Speaks to Real Lives
Panelists like Prof. Marcia Narine Weldon of the University of Miami and NanaAma Botchway of n. dowuona & company pointed to Africa’s opportunity to shape global standards in a way that is both community-driven and tech-enabled. They warned against merely copying foreign structures, advocating instead for simplified governance systems that SMEs can understand and use.
Bridging the Gap: Policy to People
Former diplomat Ambassador Dr. William G.M. Brandful made a heartfelt appeal for more citizen engagement in frameworks like Agenda 2063, noting that real progress must translate to daily improvements in people’s lives, not just policy documents.
Mobile Money, AfCFTA, and Future Risks
Prof. Edmund Ato Kwaw of Wisconsin International University highlighted mobile money as a backbone of African commerce, especially with AfCFTA. But he warned that security and compliance gaps in digital finance, especially around anti-money laundering and identity verification, could hinder long-term progress.
A Generational, Pan-African Opportunity
From the challenges of SME governance to the promise of youth-focused education reforms and continental digital finance strategies, the Executive Forum concluded with a unified call: Africa must shape its own governance systems to unlock its future.
“This is not just a Ghanaian issue or a West African issue. It is a Pan-African opportunity,” Archer declared.
As Africa’s youth enter leadership, and as its private and public sectors grow increasingly intertwined, the Forum signals a shift: governance is no longer about ticking boxes, it’s about transforming futures.
