The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), Simon Madjie, has urged African countries to accelerate industrial transformation by shifting from the export of raw materials to value addition and local production.

According to him, Africa must take deliberate steps to industrialise in order to improve living standards and fully harness the opportunities presented by continental integration initiatives.

“It is good to be African. Being African means having high expectations for our quality of life, our food systems and our services, and we must rise to meet those expectations,” Mr Madjie stated.

He said Africa was at a critical stage in the implementation of Agenda 2063, noting that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) remained a key instrument for driving industrial development and economic transformation across the continent.

Mr Madjie stressed that Africa must move away from its historical dependence on exporting raw materials and instead focus on processing and adding value to its natural resources to support sustainable growth.

He made these remarks at the Africa Trade Summit 2026, held in Accra, under the theme “Financing Africa’s Industrialization: Developing Industrial Value Chains, Beneficiation, and Market Integration.”

The summit focused on accelerating trade integration, industrialisation and investment across Africa, with discussions centred on value addition, standardisation, infrastructure development, financing and private sector participation under the AfCFTA framework.

It also provided a platform for African governments, policymakers and business leaders to share experiences, align policies and promote sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

Mr Madjie emphasised that conversations on Africa’s development must prioritise industrial transformation, including the need to extract greater value from local resources and build competitive African industrial champions.

While acknowledging Africa’s participation in global trade, he said the immediate priority should be to deepen industrial development and strengthen intra-African value chains.

In her remarks, the Minister of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, highlighted the importance of standardisation in facilitating trade among African countries.

“Before you are able to trade with another country, there must be standards, so that when you take your goods to that country, you don’t have to wait for the standards to be checked,” she said.

She added that Ghana, as host country of the AfCFTA Secretariat, must fully leverage the opportunities offered by the agreement to enhance trade, industrial growth and economy.