Businessman and entrepeneur Richard Nii Armah Quaye, Founder of Quick Angels and its subsidiaries, has called for a shift in mindset from potential to purpose, from conversation to construction, and from waiting to working, at the Africa Rising Symposium 2025, EMY Africa’s flagship thought leadership event held at the Accra International Conference Centre.
Speaking to a high-profile audience of business leaders, youth innovators, policymakers, and change-makers from across the continent, Quaye noted;
“This is no longer the time for potential. It is a time for purpose. Time for proof,” Quaye declared, setting the tone for a call to action centered on bold execution, structural reforms, and long-term thinking
Reflecting on his entrepreneurial journey and his experience investing in hundreds of start-ups through Quick Angels, Quaye challenged the traditional narrative of Africa as a continent defined by need and aid.
“Africa doesn’t lack talent. It doesn’t lack ideas. It doesn’t even lack opportunity. What we often lack is structure, systems, and the boldness to build things that last beyond us,” he asserted.
He described the next decade as a defining moment for Africa’s business ecosystem one in which systems thinking, innovation, and intergenerational collaboration must take center stage.
“Our story has too often been told through the lens of need, as if we are waiting for help. But the real story is about creation, about ownership, about rewriting the script with our own very pains,” he said.
A Message to Young Entrepreneurs: Design the Room
Turning directly to the young people in the room, Quaye delivered a rallying cry for self-empowerment and original thinking.
“Don’t wait for someone to hand you a blueprint. Build your own. Don’t wait to be included in the room. Design the room and create the door,” he urged.
In his address, Quaye emphasized that innovation is not technology alone, but also how Africans think, organize, and work across borders and sectors.
“Leadership today, whether in governments, business, or youth, is no longer about titles. It’s about systems. Can we build models that outlive us?” he asked.
Legacy and Long-Term Vision
Sharing insights from his own path as an investor and entrepreneur, Quaye underscored the power of clarity, conviction, and consistency over time.
“I didn’t start with much, but I started with clarity. I started with conviction. And I never stopped building. Legacy is not built in moments. It’s built daily in how we show up, how we serve, and how we stay the course.” he said.
Building, Not Saving
As the symposium transitions into the broader EMY Africa Expo, Quaye’s message resonated as both a personal reflection and a continental challenge.
With this address, Richard Nii Armah Quaye positioned himself not just as an investor in businesses, but as a visionary advocate for structural entrepreneurship, calling on Africa’s brightest minds to trade slogans for systems, and dreams for deliverables.
