The forum was on the theme: “Is There Enough Empowerment: The Gateway to Sustainable Economic Development.”

Mr Daniel Asomani, the Chief Executive Officer of VODEC Africa, in an address said Ghana’s stable democracy, English-speaking advantage, and growing tech ecosystem, could attract global tech companies to establish their African headquarters in Accra.
He called for the creation of special economic zones for technology companies, offer tax incentives for digital startups, and establish Ghana as the Silicon Valley of West Africa.

“Our goal should be to increase the digital economy’s contribution to GDP from the current 4.5 per cent to 15 per cent by 2030.

Mr Asomani made the call at the Forum held at the University of Professional Studies, Accra, attended by personalities including Barima Acheampong Sarpong II, Chief of Asante Asamang in the Ashanti Region, who was the chairman of the occasion.

The others are Mr Ken Ohene Agyapong, an aspiring flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Madam Shamima Muslim, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson, and Mr Daniel Matalon, Social Investor and Founder of Is There Enough.

Mr Asomani said Ghana needed to transform its agricultural value chain by establishing agro-processing zones, farmer cooperatives with modern technology, to become West Africa’s food basket, and that by so doing the country would create two million jobs and increase agriculture’s GDP contribution from 18 per cent to 25 per cent.
He noted that with the country’s strategic location, ports, and infrastructure it could attract manufacturing companies looking to serve the African market, stating, “We can become the manufacturing hub for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

“We should focus on textiles, pharmaceuticals, automotive assembly, and electronics. Our target should be to increase manufacturing’s contribution to GDP from 12 per cent to 20 per cent by 2030,” he said.

The Chief Executive said from Dr Nkrumah’s legacy to the country’s vibrant music scene, historical sites to contemporary art, Ghana could create a tourism industry that would contribute 10 per cent to GDP and employ one million people.

“We have incredible cultural heritage, beautiful landscapes, and rich history. We should position Ghana as the cultural capital of Africa, the gateway for African diaspora tourism, and the centre of African creative industries,” he stated.

Mr Asomani called for the creation of regulatory sandboxes for fintech innovation, establish partnerships with global financial institutions, and position the country as the testing ground for African’s financial future.

“With our stable banking system and growing mobile money adoption, we can develop financial solutions that serve not just Ghana but the entire continent. We should become the fintech capital of Africa,” he said.

He said God has blessed the country with abundant natural resources – gold, diamonds, bauxite, timber, oil, and more.
He however added: “But we must stop being hewers of wood and drawers of water.

“Instead of exporting raw gold, we should establish gold refineries and jewellery manufacturing hubs, creating ‘Made in Ghana’ gold products that command premium prices globally.”

He said instead of shipping raw bauxite, Ghana should build aluminium smelters and manufacturing plants, producing finished aluminium products for construction and automotive industries across Africa.

“Our timber should be processed into furniture and construction materials right here in Ghana, adding value before export. We should establish petroleum refineries and petrochemical complexes to process our oil into finished products – plastics, fertilisers, pharmaceuticals.

Mr Asomani said VODEC Africa, and its partners were committed to supporting these transformations.

“We are allocating 40 per cent our Idea Challenge funding to support female entrepreneurs, particularly in industries such as shea butter processing, which provides livelihoods for over 600,000 women,” he stated.
He said, however, transformation required more than individual initiatives and that it demanded systemic change, adding, “We must prioritize STEM education with the urgency of a nation at war with ignorance.”