The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), Mr Simon Madjie, has called on African countries to fast-track industrial transformation by moving away from the export of raw materials and prioritising value addition and local production.

According to him, deliberate industrialisation is essential if Africa is to raise living standards and fully capitalise on the opportunities created by continental integration initiatives.

“It is good to be African. Being African means having high expectations for our quality of life, our food systems and our services, and we must rise to meet those expectations,” Mr Madjie said.

He noted that the continent is at a critical stage in the implementation of Agenda 2063, describing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as a central tool for driving industrial development and economic transformation across Africa.

Mr Madjie stressed that Africa must break from its long-standing dependence on exporting unprocessed natural resources and instead focus on beneficiation and value addition to achieve sustainable growth.

He made the remarks at the Africa Trade Summit 2026 in Accra, held under the theme “Financing Africa’s Industrialisation: Developing Industrial Value Chains, Beneficiation, and Market Integration.”

The summit brought together policymakers, business leaders and industry stakeholders to discuss ways to accelerate trade integration, industrialisation and investment across the continent. Key discussions focused on value addition, standardisation, infrastructure development, financing, and private sector participation within the AfCFTA framework.

Mr Madjie emphasised that Africa’s development agenda must place industrial transformation at the centre, urging countries to maximise the value of their local resources and build competitive African industrial champions.

While acknowledging Africa’s role in global trade, he said the continent’s immediate priority should be to deepen industrial capacity and strengthen intra-African value chains.

Also speaking at the summit, the Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Mrs Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, underscored the critical role of standardisation in facilitating seamless trade among African countries.

She explained that harmonised standards would reduce delays and barriers to cross-border trade, allowing goods to move more efficiently across markets.

Mrs Ofosu-Adjare added that Ghana, as host country of the AfCFTA Secretariat, must take full advantage of the agreement to boost trade, industrial growth and deeper economic integration across the continent.