Accra: Africa must position itself to lead in areas such as artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, energy transition, and data sovereignty as the African Continental Free Trade Area presents opportunities for market integration and growth, the Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has said. She emphasized that the continent could not remain solely a consumer of externally built systems; rather, Africa must develop technologies and solutions rooted in its own realities and priorities.
According to Ghana News Agency, the Vice President made these remarks while delivering the keynote address at the 16th Oxford Africa Conference, organized by the Oxford Africa Society. The conference was themed 'Anchoring Africa: Grounded Leadership in the Age of Disruption' and aims to bring together leaders, academics, students, and innovators to reflect on Africa's future in a rapidly changing world.
The Vice President stressed that transformation depends on governance that remains disciplined, ethical, connected to implementation, and grounded in the people it serves. She defined effective leadership as the daily responsibility of ensuring that institutions function and citizens feel the impact of policy.
The statement highlighted that while Africa continues to face significant challenges, the continent also possesses the capacity, talent, and resources required to shape its own future. Leadership in this era must focus on credible implementation, institutional resilience, and long-term economic transformation.
Vice President Prof Opoku-Agyemang pointed out Ghana's ongoing reforms to stabilize the economy, reduce dependency on raw material exports, and strengthen value addition-particularly within sectors such as cocoa processing-as reflecting a broader shift toward sustainable economic architecture. She highlighted initiatives such as the 24-Hour Economy policy and the proposed Women's Development Bank as practical efforts to integrate those often excluded from formal economic systems.
She noted that across Africa, women continue to form the backbone of informal trade and economic activity yet remain underrepresented within traditional financial structures. The Women's Development Bank aims to provide not only financial support but also equip women with the skills and tools necessary to grow sustainably and participate more fully in economic transformation.
The Vice President also focused on the future of technology, trade, and African integration, sharing insights from her experiences in academia and public service to underscore the importance of staying connected to communities and on-the-ground realities. She concluded by asserting that Africa's future will depend not only on the scale of disruption confronting the continent but on how deliberately and collectively Africa chooses to organize itself to lead.