Ghana's Vice President, Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, has urged African financial market leaders to prioritise human empowerment. She believes this focus is key to building strong and inclusive markets. Sustainable market growth relies on empowering people who create, regulate, and use financial systems.
This means preparing workers for new trading methods and technological shifts. The Vice President delivered these remarks during the 2026 ACI World Congress in Accra. ACI Ghana and the Bank of Ghana jointly organised this two-day event. The congress theme was “Elevating Markets, Empowering People.”
This focus on human capital aligns with Ghana’s broader economic strategy to boost local capacity and resilience. Ghana faces global economic pressures, including inflation and high interest rates. Developing a skilled workforce is crucial for navigating these challenges. The nation also aims to leverage its young population for economic growth. Previous government initiatives have supported digital inclusion and entrepreneurial growth.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang stated that market systems depend entirely on people. Their decisions and behaviour determine market integrity and longevity. She said, “The theme for this congress reminds us that markets exist to serve people, mobilise capital, support enterprise, price risk, allocate resources, and create opportunities.” She added, “To elevate markets, therefore, we must empower the people who build, regulate, participate in, and depend on them.”
What happens next involves continued investment in education and skills development. Policymakers and market participants will likely respond to these calls by integrating human development initiatives into financial sector reforms. This includes strengthening frameworks for data governance and cyber resilience. Ensuring smaller institutions and emerging markets are not overlooked is also a key implication. Ms. Maame Adjoa Thompson, Vice President of ACI Ghana, highlighted the importance of training in financial market professionalism. ACI Ghana plans to use insights from the congress to create practical programs for Africa’s financial markets. These actions aim to foster partnerships and deliver solutions to improve the sector.