Vice President Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has called on African countries to accelerate industrialisation, reduce dependence on raw material exports and place women and young people at the centre of the continent’s economic transformation agenda.
The Vice President made the call in a keynote address delivered on her behalf by the Deputy Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Sampson Ahi, at the Accelerate Africa‘s Growth Connect 2026 conference held in Accra on May 25, 2026, to mark Africa Day.
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Speaking at the conference held at the University of Ghana Cedi Conference Centre, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang stated that Africa could no longer afford to remain an exporter of raw materials while importing finished products at higher costs.
“We are not content to export raw materials while others manufacture finished goods and sell them back to us at a premium,” she stated.
“That model has not served us, and we will not sustain it.”
The conference brought together delegates from more than 30 African countries under the theme of industrial transformation and continental cooperation.
Discussions focused on four key pillars, including policy and leadership, skills development, job and wealth creation, as well as knowledge and trade exchange as pathways toward inclusive industrialisation across the continent.
The Vice President stressed the need for African countries to strengthen local manufacturing, create opportunities for young people and women, and build resilient economies capable of driving long-term development.
Founder and Global Chief Executive Officer of Twow Africa and Convenor of the Accelerate Africa’s Growth Connect conference, Her Excellency Nyakan June, also called on Africans in the diaspora to actively contribute to the continent’s industrialisation and economic growth efforts.
