Ghana’s Deputy Trade Minister Sampson Ahi has urged Africa to anchor its economic transformation in trade integration, industrialisation, agribusiness expansion, and innovation, arguing that growth divorced from ethical leadership risks becoming destructive rather than developmental.
Ahi delivered the address at the 2026 Let Africa Go Conference in Akwapim Mampong on Friday, representing Trade Minister Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare. The gathering, hosted at the Anagkazo Campus under the theme “A New Dawn for Africa: Pursuing Visionary Innovations for Continental Transformation,” brought together entrepreneurs, policymakers, faith leaders, and civil society actors from across Africa and the diaspora.
The deputy minister identified the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as one of the most consequential economic instruments currently available to the continent, arguing the agreement holds the potential to create jobs, unlock growth, and deepen intra-African trade through a unified continental market. He framed Africa’s broader development trajectory as one shifting away from narratives of poverty and underdevelopment toward a story built on its youthful population, natural resource wealth, entrepreneurial capacity, and expanding innovation ecosystem.
Ahi was pointed on the question of values, warning that economic expansion without accountability produces outcomes as harmful as they are productive. “Development without values is not development,” he said. “It is merely growth, and growth without direction can be as destructive as it is productive.”
Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs Minister Ahmed Ibrahim added that faith-based organisations have been consistent contributors to education and healthcare delivery across the continent and should deepen their involvement in Africa’s socio-economic development agenda. He called for greater investment in human capital and digital technology, and urged stronger collaboration among African institutions.
The Let Africa Go Movement, which organised the conference, described the initiative as a platform for promoting spiritual, cultural, and social renewal across Africa through leadership development, cross-sector partnerships, and continental advocacy.
