The Vice President of Ghana, Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, has urged African leaders to invest strategically in intra-African trade, industrial policies, infrastructure, connectivity, innovation, technology, and governance. She emphasized that such investments would empower the private sector to build skills, sustain productivity, and strengthen economic resilience across the continent.

Vice President Opoku-Agyemang made the remarks while delivering the keynote address at the Africa Trade Awards Gala in Accra, which marked the conclusion of the Africa Trade Summit 2026.

Highlighting the potential of intra-African trade following the establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), she noted that it still represents only a modest share of the continent’s total trade volume.

“We need to build the habits, incentives, and institutional discipline required to sustain our economic agreements and declarations over time. Continuity must be understood as an economic condition. Investors price it, businesses depend on it, and workers plan their lives around it,” she said.

The Vice President also stressed the importance of long-term economic planning, urging African nations to focus on tangible outcomes. “Future assessments of our vision will be judged by whether infrastructure projects are completed on time and within budget, firms remain skilled and competitive, trade is cost-effective and predictable, and institutions retain public trust,” she added.

President Carlos Vila Nova of São Tomé and Príncipe echoed the call for action, noting that Africa must move beyond rhetoric to implement its industrialisation agenda. “What we rarely acknowledge is that time has now become Africa’s most expensive infrastructure deficit. Every year of delay compounds loss of effectiveness and confidence,” he said.