PRESIDENT of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has indicated that the fastest way to resolve the issues of an economy that do not meet the needs of the people and of an alarming rate of unemployment lie in entrepreneurship, business and technology.
According to President Akufo-Addo, the country has not come to terms with the image of the entrepreneur in “our country, adding that “we seem unsure about the definition of what constitutes business.”
Nonetheless, the president noted that “it is time to take entrepreneurship seriously;” explaining that “successful economies always depend on entrepreneurs running successful businesses.”
President Akufo-Addo made this known when he delivered a speech at the International Conference on Entrepreneurship, Business and Technology (ICEBUT), organised by the Methodist University College Ghana yesterday.
The president noted that it was in the interest of all stakeholders that “those who set up ventures and take business risks are able to generate wealth,” adding that “this is the sector that must grow, for it is the sector that will provide the cure for our unemployment crisis.”
It is for this reason that the president assured that impediments, largely found in the public sector, which include petty corruption and excessive regulation, which demoralise businesses will be removed to ensure that businesses grow.
The ‘Asempa Budget,’ the President added, “has shown that my government is serious about its part of the bargain and is committed to strengthening business and the private sector.”
On the role of educational institutions, President Akufo-Addo noted that “educational institutions would have to take a closer look at their curriculum content and the way they teach, and align it with present day realities.”
He also urged businesses to employ the use of technology in the running of their businesses as it formalises their operations without much cost.
“It is time to utilise them to the full, instead of the one-upmanship gadgets they tend to be currently. A smart phone can enable a market woman decide when the best time is to make the planned trip to the orange farm for her purchases, because she can see the state of the oranges from her home or office 200 kilometers away. That same smart phone would hold all the records of her previous transactions and enable her conduct her banking. The possibilities are endless and we have the opportunity to make rapid progress, with the aid of technology to create wealth,” he said.
President Akufo-Addo also urged for the development of “partnerships between industry and universities to ensure that the next generation of business leaders are appropriately trained.
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