Mr. Charles Abani, the United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator in Ghana, has stressed the critical importance of creating a conducive environment for private investors to transform the African continent.
He said that the private sector was uniquely positioned to drive Africa’s development, serving as the engine of job creation, a source of innovation, and a bridge to unlocking the continent’s vast resources and human capital, therefore, there must be a clear and strong conducive environment for private companies to leverage in developing the content.
He mentioned that these conducive measures includes, supporting ease of trade, reducing non-tariff barriers, and facilitating the smooth movement of goods, services, and people across borders.
Mr. Abani stressed that, robust public-private partnerships would be critical to achieving the needed economic growth.
Those alliances, he noted, could spur innovation, increase competitiveness, and eventually help the continent achieve its development goals.
Mr. Abani stated that governments, international organizations, and the private sector must collaborate to strengthen institutional frameworks for regional integration and trade.
Further, stakeholders need to build the capacity of SMEs to take advantage of AfCFTA and foster an environment of trust and transparency that encourages investment and promotes good governance.
Mr. Abani stressed the critical importance of sustainable financing and development for achieving Agenda 2063, Africa’s strategic framework aimed at transforming the continent.
He added that, the traditional funding sources alone cannot meet the ambitious goals set forth in Agenda 2063, making it imperative for the private sector to play a crucial role in policymaking to attract investment.
Mr. Abani was speaking at the 2024 Business Safari, a networking event organized by The Global Africa Trade Advisory Chamber (GATAC) in collaboration with the Ghana India Trade Advisory Chamber (GITAC) in Accra.
Nonetheless, Dr. Dominic Oduro Antwi, the President of Global-Africa Trade Advisory Chamber (GATAC ), said by adopting innovative technologies, Ghana could increase efficiency, reduce post-harvest losses, and expand processing capacity, and thereby strengthen agricultural exports through collaborative research, building partnerships, and development.
Dr. Antwi stressed that Ghana needed to position itself as a competitive player in the global agribusiness market by leveraging new technologies and innovations to enhance the local economy.
