The Second Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), Mrs Matilda Asante-Asiedu, has challenged Ghana’s next generation of business leaders to abandon a job-seeking mindset and instead channel the tools of artificial intelligence (AI) into building enterprises that can compete on a global scale.
Delivering the keynote address at the GIMPA Alumni Distinguished Lecture Series on April 14, 2026, Mrs Asante-Asiedu returned to her alma mater to issue what she described as a simple but urgent message: technology must be a tool for inclusion, not a barrier to it.
Reflecting on her own trajectory from GIMPA lecture halls to the upper echelons of the central bank, she said the journey had come full circle, describing the occasion as truly special.
Her address centred on the growing role of AI across Ghana’s economy, particularly in finance, agriculture and healthcare, while warning that rapid technological adoption risks marginalising the small businesses and entrepreneurs who form the backbone of the country’s economy.
“Artificial Intelligence will shape the future of enterprise in Ghana, but it is leadership that will determine whether that future is inclusive, trusted, and sustainable,” she said. “We must build systems that are fair, accessible, and designed to include everyone.”
In a direct appeal to students, she challenged them to move away from waiting for employment and encouraged them to use AI as a strategic tool to scale local cultural and economic initiatives, specifically citing the Fugu Wednesday initiative introduced by President John Dramani Mahama to promote the local smock industry as a prime example of a venture that could be transformed through technology.
“Build, create, and explore opportunities around you,” she urged. “From initiatives like Fugu Wednesday to ventures that can scale beyond our borders, using AI as a tool to market and grow.”
She stressed that the kind of future Ghana aspires to will not arrive by accident. “The future we want will not happen by chance. It will be designed by leaders who choose responsibility, inclusion, and impact,” she said.
Mrs Asante-Asiedu, who holds an MBA from GIMPA Business School, closed with an open question to the audience on how AI is being used in their respective fields and how its deployment could be made more responsible in generating real economic opportunities for Ghanaians.
