Global Entrepreneurship Festival
Ghana Hosts GEF Global Business Forum as Investors, Diplomats and Business Leaders Converge in Accra
The forum champions enterprise, intra-African trade and investment under theme "The World We Help to Create" ahead of Global Entrepreneurship Festival in Cairo_
Held under the theme "The World We Help to Create," the Forum went beyond dialogue to practical engagement, connecting Ghanaian businesses with investors, markets and decision-makers, and generating commitments to support entrepreneurs with sponsored participation, travel and accommodation to the Global Entrepreneurship Festival (GEF) 2026 scheduled for 6-8 November 2026 at the JW Marriott Hotel in Cairo, Egypt.
The Ghana Edition forms part of GEF's global engagement series positioning Ghanaian enterprises, innovations and investment opportunities within an expanding international network.
Enterprise is Africa's Jobs Engine
Delivering the keynote address titled "Building the World We Help to Create: Africa, Trade, Investment and Shared Prosperity," Founder and Executive Chairman of Jonah Capital, Sir Sam E. Jonah, placed enterprise development and intra-African trade at the heart of Africa's economic future.
Drawing on decades of experience, including the historic listing of Ashanti Goldfields on the New York Stock Exchange, Sir Jonah stressed the link between enterprise, capital and scale.
"An enterprise of scale needs capital," he said.
He challenged the expectation that public sector employment can absorb Africa's growing working-age population.
"Government cannot employ all its population. No government can. But through enterprises, entrepreneurs can," he noted.
On African economic integration, he called for deliberate removal of barriers to trade:
"If we want Africa to buy from Africans, we must learn to kill the borders."
He added: "Implementation is the new innovation," in reference to making the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) deliver practical economic outcomes.
He concluded by urging Ghana's business community to participate in GEF 2026 in Cairo not as observers but as ambassadors of Ghana's enterprise and innovation.
Investment, Leadership and Integrity in Focus
The High-Level Panel on "Scaling the World We Help to Create: Investment, Enterprise and Partnerships for Africa's Growth," featured Captain Prince Kofi Amoabeng (Rtd.), Founder of the PK Amoabeng Leadership Foundation; Vivianne Infante, Africa Coverage Director at British International Investment (UK); Nadim Ghanem Jr., CEO of Miniplast; and Alexandra Wester, Founder and Managing Director of Mare & Partners.
The panel examined leadership, capital, competitiveness and partnerships for scaling African businesses into global markets.
"Talent and motivation are not enough. You need strategic action to create desirable results," said Wester.
In an impact speech, Founder and CEO of Nguvu Mining Limited, Angela Attieh, centred her remarks on values-led leadership.
"If we want a world of honesty, we must all practice honesty, even when it costs us ridicule," she said.
Head of the UNESCO Office in Accra and UNESCO Representative to Ghana, H.E. Mr. Edmond Moukala N'Gouemo, called for action over conversation:
"We are here to move from being spectators of history to being its architects. The world we hope for will not be created by conversation alone, but by the opportunities we create."
H.E. Wael Fathy Ahmed, Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to Ghana, delivered a keynote on "Connecting the World We Help to Create: Economic Diplomacy, Trade and Shared Prosperity," reinforcing the link between the Accra forum and the upcoming Cairo festival.
Founder and President of the Kwame Nkrumah Pan-African Centre, Hon. Samia Yaba Nkrumah, emphasized identity and truth-telling in shaping Africa's future.
"We must not be afraid of giving the message, telling this story, and standing by the truth," she said.
From Conversation to Commitment
In his flagship address, President and Project Lead of the Global Entrepreneurship Festival, Dr. Summy Smart Francis, challenged participants to measure success by impact created for others.
"Because it is not the praise that matters; it is the action that matters," Dr. Francis said.
That message translated into tangible commitments at the Forum. Participants and supporters pledged support to enable entrepreneurs facing financial barriers to attend GEF 2026 in Cairo, covering travel and accommodation. Participants in the closing high-level business networking session also won fully sponsored participation to the Cairo festival.
The Forum closed with structured networking designed to facilitate new business connections, investor introductions and cross-border partnerships.
The Global Entrepreneurship Festival 2026 will convene over 10,000 entrepreneurs, investors, governments, business leaders and ecosystem stakeholders from around the world in Cairo, providing pathways to capital, international markets, strategic partnerships and global visibility.
Organizers say momentum now moves from Accra to Cairo with a clear message: Africa's future will be shaped by the enterprises built, the investments made, and the partnerships forged .
MEDIA CONTACT
Tosin J. Ikuyinminu
PR & Communications Manager
GEF Global Business Forum 2026
Email: tosin@globalentrepreneurshipfestival.com
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