VICE President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to building partnerships that deliver real benefits to its people.
Speaking at the Africa Growth and Opportunity: Research in Action forum in Palermo, Italy, where she delivered the keynote address, she stressed that Ghana welcomes opportunities rooted in fairness and mutual respect.
She conveyed warm greetings from President John Dramani Mahama and stressed that job creation remains at the heart of Ghana’s economic transformation agenda.
According to her, employment was not an afterthought but a central pillar of national development.
The Vice President outlined Ghana’s current roadmap for inclusive and sustainable job creation, which was anchored on the 24-Hour Economy framework.
She described the policy as a bold reorganisation of how time and productivity are used to ensure that opportunities are available around the clock.
Through its interconnected pillars — Grow24, Make24, Build24, Connect24, Fund24, Aspire24, Show24, and Go24 — the government aims to expand activity in agriculture, manufacturing, infrastructure, finance, and digital innovation.
She highlighted key initiatives already underway, including the Feed Ghana Programme and Grow24, which were transforming agriculture by expanding irrigation, promoting climate-resilient crops, and strengthening logistics systems.
She said these reforms would build a more reliable food production chain and create new openings for farmers across the country.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang also pointed to support measures for small and medium enterprises, such as the BRIDGE Initiative, which provides financing and training to help businesses grow.
In addition, programmes like the Adwumawura Programme and the One Million Coders Initiative are equipping young people with digital, technical, and green skills needed for emerging sectors of the economy.
“These efforts show Ghana’s determination to move from research to action and from vision to work,” she said.
She cited the fall of inflation to single digits, the recognition of the cedi as Africa’s best-performing currency this year, and improved investor confidence as signs of a stabilising economy.
But she stressed that the government’s focus goes beyond economic indicators.
The goal, she said, is to ensure that farmers, artisans, traders, and entrepreneurs feel the impact of economic recovery in their daily lives.
She noted that the Big Push Infrastructure Agenda was generating employment across multiple sectors, including transport, housing, energy, and social infrastructure.
To guarantee that women and youth were not left behind, she referenced policies such as the Women’s Development Bank and the WAPE Fund, which are designed to broaden financial access and support women-led enterprises.
She maintained that inclusive growth was necessary to build a balanced and resilient economy.
Turning to Africa’s place in the global economic system, the Vice President called for a new approach to partnerships with the continent.
BY AGNES OPOKU SARPONG
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