Social capital is essential for business growth – WestlionCo Board Member

On Thursday, November 9, 2023, WestlionCo successfully held the 2^nd edition of the Africa Entrepreneurship Accelerator Summit 2023 at the British Council in the Capital, Accra.

The summit commenced with an intriguing opening speech by the Chairperson, Ohenewa Sakyi-Bekoe, Development Consultant & Board member, WestlionCo.

She emphasized social capital and cultivating meaningful relationships as entrepreneurial currencies for young startup founders.

According to her, business owners are responsible for identifying relevant connectors and collaborators to amass the required resources for building sustainable enterprises.

She also called on key stakeholders to beef up SME support and intentionally create opportunities for businesses to thrive.

Mad. Angela Asante, Presidential Advisor, Gender & Development delivered an insightful keynote presentation at the just-ended Africa Entrepreneurship Accelerator Summit 2023.

According to her, entrepreneurship is not merely an abstract concept but a transformative force that holds the potential to reshape our continent’s destiny.

Mad. Angela Asante, Presidential Advisor, Gender & Development, delivering a keynote speech at the 2^nd Africa Entrepreneurship Accelerator Summit 2023, British Council - Accra

During her delivery, she highlighted major challenges that have long hindered the rise of youth entrepreneurship on the continent. Among the many were; access to education, finance, mentorship, and digital innovation.

She concluded by saying “It’s our collective responsibility to break down these barriers and create an enabling environment for youth entrepreneurship to flourish as Africa is home to the youngest population in the world”.

She assured participants of the government’s dogged determination to deepen entrepreneurship support on all fronts.

The Chief Enterprise Business Officer of MTN Ghana, Ing Richard Densu graced the Summit 2023 as a keynote speaker.

As the custom of his presentations has always been, his keynote speech was nothing short of a game changer.

He indicated that though Africa is rich and holds a huge proportion of the world’s renewables and non-renewable natural resources, the continent still faces a significant economic gap compared to the rest of the world, evident in lower GDP per capita, reduced access to basic services, and a lag in key development indicators.

Ing Richard Densu, Ag. Chief Enterprise Business Officer, MTN Ghana, delivering a keynote speech at the 2^nd Africa Entrepreneurship Accelerator Summit 2023, British Council - Accra

According to him, the fastest way to accelerate Africa’s economic growth and create prosperity for generations to come is through Entrepreneurship.

Job creation, innovation and adaptability, wealth creation, resource mobilization, and diversification are the reserves of a well-nurtured entrepreneurial economy.

He drew conclusive remarks from the case of Asia and its strong backbone – SMEs. He hammered on six connectors that will consolidate Africa’s Entrepreneurship Acceleration; Secure Energy, Efficient transport, Reliable Communication Systems, Resilient Sanitation, Affordable Housing, and soft infrastructure.

“Africa can openly embrace new technology and ideas, with no historical imprint from which to break free” – Ing Richard Densu.

Speakers & some participants at the 2^nd Africa Entrepreneurship Accelerator Summit 2023, British Council - Accra.