The 2026 PA Conference has been launched in Accra, with business leaders urging personal assistants, executive assistants and administrative professionals to position themselves as strategic partners within organisations.

The two-day event, scheduled for July 23 and 24, is expected to attract participants from Ghana and across West Africa.

Speaking at the media launch in Accra yesterday, Africa’s leading marketing scholar, Prof. Robert Ebo Hinson, said the success of chief executives and top managers often depended on the quality of the people who supported them.

He mentioned that those who prepared speeches, managed schedules, coordinated communication and provided strategic backing were often the driving force behind high-performing leaders.

Prof. Hinson said the conference theme: ‘The Strategic Architect: Mastering Influence, Tech and Institutional Excellence,’ was timely, as today’s workplace required more than efficiency.

He explained that administrative professionals were no longer just a support to staff but key partners in leadership and decision-making, adding that they must be equipped to shape outcomes, drive alignment and add measurable value at the highest levels of organisations.

He expressed confidence that the conference would continue to empower professionals in Ghana and across Africa.

Also speaking at the event, the Global People Leader, Tax and Legal Services, PwC, Madam Ayesha Bedwei Ibe, said strategic architects were professionals who thought ahead, led through influence and built systems that enabled organisations to grow.

According to her, modern assistants must move beyond handling calendars and routine tasks to managing priorities, energy and outcomes for leaders.

She urged participants to see themselves as future-ready professionals whose work could multiply the effectiveness of executives and institutions.

The Managing Partner of Five Six Five Ltd, Maame Ekua Gaisey, said the conference started in 2019 with the aim of providing one of Africa’s most underserved professions with a world-class platform.

She noted that the role of assistants had changed significantly, explaining that the profession was no longer about typing quickly or merely managing diaries, but about leveraging tools, influence and systems to drive organisational progress.

Ms Gaisey said the conference had expanded beyond Ghana and was building a regional network of professionals from countries such as Nigeria, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire and The Gambia.

She also announced new professional recognition programmes through the African Institute of Personal & Executive Assistants (AIPEA), including certification and learning materials aimed at helping members meet evolving workplace demands.

She appealed to the media to support efforts in order to elevate the profession and urged companies to sponsor or exhibit at the event.