News Guide Africa

Tag: 2026 Africa Prosperity Dialogues

  • Ghana’s SMEs remain competitive despite challenges – Vice President

    Ghana’s SMEs remain competitive despite challenges – Vice President

    Vice President Prof Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has praised Ghana’s Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) for their resilience and competitiveness, even in challenging economic conditions within the sector.

    She emphasised that Ghana’s SMEs continue to adapt, innovate, and maintain their competitiveness, underscoring their importance in national economic growth and job creation.

    “In Ghana, our SMEs continue to demonstrate resilience and competitiveness even under challenging conditions,” she said when delivering an address during last week’s 2026 Africa Prosperity Dialogues in Accra while speaking on the state of SMEs in Africa.

    The Vice President noted that these businesses play a crucial role in driving employment and contributing to the continent’s GDP.

    “Within this market (the Africa Free Trade Continental Area), SMEs are central. Africans SMEs are often cited as generating over 80% of employment and a significant share of GDP,” she said.

    The Vice President called for continued support and policies that strengthen the SME sector to ensure sustainable development and inclusive economic progress.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • We need a single African currency to enable seamless trade – Pearl Nkrumah

    We need a single African currency to enable seamless trade – Pearl Nkrumah

    The Managing Director of Access Bank Ghana and Chairperson of the Ghana Stock Exchange, Pearl Nkrumah, has emphasised the critical role of efficient payment systems and enabling platforms in facilitating African trade and investment.

    Speaking at the 2026 Africa Prosperity Dialogues at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) last week, Mrs Nkrumah stated that access to financing alone is not enough to expand trade; infrastructure for seamless payments and regulatory support is equally vital.

    “For me, most importantly, is how do we enable that platform to make it smooth and fluid for a woman to be able to find partners in other regions and fund their product,” she said.

    She noted that Access Bank has created mechanisms that allow funds to move across 14 African countries in multiple currencies.

    Mrs Nkrumah pointed to ongoing challenges under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), explaining that cross-border settlements still rely heavily on the US dollar, complicating trade flows.

    She added that initiatives like Access Africa allow Ghanaian customers to send funds in Cedis and have them received in local currencies such as Naira, South African Rand, and Zambian Kwacha, though reliance on USD for final settlement remains a constraint.

    She also highlighted the potential of a single African currency as a long-term solution to simplify cross-border transactions and accelerate intra-African trade.

    “The platform is this, payment is not much of our problem. It’s just the settlement aspect which we need to take very seriously,” she said.