By Ernest Nutsugah, GNA
Accra, Jan 24, GNA – Dr Daniel McKorley, the Executive Chairman of the McDan Group, has urged policy makers to create an enabling environment for entrepreneurship in Africa to accelerate developmental goals.
Speaking at The Regal Influence Summit, organised by KRIF Foundation in Accra on Friday, he emphasised the role of free enterprise in addressing unemployment and related challenges on the continent, and called for support for young businesses.
Beyond policy, he said investors must think long term while established businesses mentored and partnered with emerging enterprises to succeed.
“Entrepreneurship is not about privilege; it is about possibilities, and Africa is full of possibilities. With the world’s youngest and fastest growing workforce, Africa cannot rely on government employment or foreign aid to absorb its youth,” Dr McKorley said.
“Entrepreneurship offers the pathway for young people to lead, innovate and build enterprises that can scale across borders.”
The forum, on the theme: “Commanding Influence, Shaping Nations,” brought together government representatives, policymakers, finance executives, and business leaders from some African countries to share their experiences to guide young businesses to grow.
Reflecting on his journey as an entrepreneur, Dr McKorley maintained that African entrepreneurs were best positioned to solve the challenges confronting the nation.
He described the Africa Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA) as an opportunity for enterpreneurs to tap into, adding that capital support and mentorship could help entrepreneurs to take advantage of the initiative.
Citing the McDan Entrepreneurship Challenge, which nurtures innovative business ideas, Dr McKorley said similar efforts should be sustained in academia, the private and public sectors.
“Entrepreneurship is not only about starting businesses; it is about building people who can sustain them…” he said.
“Africa as a continent has faced exploitation, instability and systemic barriers yet we continue to rise…our future will not be defined by what we endure but by what we choose to build.”
The businessman advised young people to be disciplined in order to succeed in business, saying: “75 per cent of wealth comes from attitude.”
“Institutions must teach practical, relevant skills…successful entrepreneurs must lift others. Entrepreneurship does not thrive in isolation but in eco-systems… Africa does not lack talent, what we need is belief backed by action,” he added.
The Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, represented by Nii Adote Odaawului, Sempe Akweiman Mantse, urged African leaders to provide opportunities for citizens, stressing that the continent needed “more collaboration instead of competition.”
“Our people are tired of promises that expire; they want outcomes…the true test of influence is how it protects the powerless…There should be less short-term applause and more long-term delivery,” he stated.
Rev Kennedy Okusun, the Executive Chairman, KRIF Ghana Limited, described the forum as a strategic convening of power, conscience, and legacy.
He urged stakeholders to move from rhetoric to responsibility, and from personal success to leaving continental legacy.
“If Africa is to rise, it will not be because of speeches alone, but because those who command influence chose to shape nations deliberately,” he noted.
The discussions at the forum focused on gender and development, banking, finance and investment, Pan-Africanism and entrepreneurship.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe