Salzburg Global, an international organisation that convenes global leaders to deliberate on major themes such as education, health, finance and governance, undertook a visit to Ghana in recent days as part of a year-long focus on Africa.
In partnership with the Ghana Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (GVCA), Impact Investing Ghana, Impact Hub, and mPedigree, Salzburg Global facilitated high-level dialogues with key stakeholders from various sectors to discuss Ghana’s state of affairs, focusing on challenges, opportunities, and pathways for sustainable development.
The discussants included chief executives of leading companies; government ministers; leading investors; visionary innovators; media leaders; award-winning artists and creative economy entrepreneurs; and civil society activists.
In addition to events in Accra, other convenings were hosted by Ashesi University at its lush Berekesu campus, while an expedition to the historic towns of Cape Coast and Elmina and important cultural sites like the Nubuke Gallery and Limbo Museum activated the “culture” component of Salzburg Global’s mission. Throughout the interactions and engagements, several dozen policymakers, business leaders, activists, and international partners participated in visioning and strategy sessions to uncover opportunities for collaboration.
Possible collaborations centered on national priorities such as economic growth, governance, and strengthening value chains in agriculture, education, and infrastructure. Participants underscored the need for inclusive policies and strategic partnerships to overcome barriers hindering Ghana’s sustainable development.
Stakeholders also explored actionable solutions to address structural challenges in the local economy, highlighting the role of public-private partnerships, youth development investments, and local capital mobilisation in attracting foreign direct investment.
Speaking after the engagement, some of Ghana’s top leaders expressed optimism about the dialogue’s potential to drive transformative change across sectors.
Arnold Parker, former CEO of Letshego Ghana and Founder of Pesewa Rising, commended stakeholders for their dedication to Ghana’s development. He praised the collaboration between public and private sector leaders.
“I think I’m very happy that it was a cross-section of people from industry and then from the political class as well. It’s been very insightful. What I particularly like is the willingness to see change in Ghanaian society.
“I believe that for the views that were expressed, if you are gonna see that the political decision-makers will implement them or listen, begin to apply them, then we would see a lot of progress in the world,” Parker emphasised.
CEO of the Ghana Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (GVCA), Amma Gyampo, supported calls for strengthening local capital mobilization to attract foreign investment. She stressed the importance of collaboration across key sectors to unlock opportunities and create jobs.
“We feel very strongly that local capital mobilization, local investment will also help attract foreign investment if we can work more closely together across key sectors of the economy,” she stated.
Gyampo also highlighted the need to enhance value chains in key industries such as poultry, rice, and fisheries to boost economic growth.
Simon Madjie, CEO of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), emphasized the role of collective participation in driving Ghana’s progress. He called on all Ghanaians to contribute their expertise and energy toward national development.
“We must all agree that in developing a country, we need everybody. We need everybody’s expertise and everybody’s attention on what needs to be done,” Madjie stated.
Bernard Avle, General Manager of Omnimedia and a well-known media figure, who facilitated some of the dialogues, stressed the importance of finding cross-sectoral collaborations as Ghana’s problems become more complex and impossible to fix with a single lens.
Salzburg Global convenes programs on five key themes: Peace and Justice, Education, Culture, Health, and Finance and Governance. These programs are regularly hosted at the historic Schloss Leopoldskron in Salzburg, Austria, and occasionally in its other home in Washington DC, USA.
