Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has called on Ghanaians to shift national attention from political rhetoric to enterprise, innovation, and economic productivity, warning that decades of excessive political focus have slowed the country’s progress.

Speaking at the Ghana Business Leaders Conclave held at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), the Asantehene said Ghana’s future prosperity would depend on its ability to build a strong business culture driven by hard work, discipline, and innovation.

Addressing business executives, students, policymakers, and academics, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II said that the true measure of national development lies in the strength of the economy and the quality of life it provides for citizens.

“There is no truer measure of our national progress than the state of the economy,” he said.

“It is the economy that determines whether we are able to provide food for the table, shelter for families, clothes for children, education for our people, health care for our communities, and safety for our homes,” he added.

According to the Asantehene, every Ghanaian hopes for a better future, but the country must honestly confront the factors that have held back national development over the years.

“So, by any measure, every Ghanaian will hope that our best years are still ahead,” he stated.

“But we must be honest enough to admit that the past decades have been too dominated by politics, and not always by politicians of the kind that builds nations,” he said.

He criticised what he described as a political culture where loyalty to political parties often outweighs commitment to national development.

“Allegiance to party has too often been stronger than allegiance to the state,” the Asantehene noted.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II further observed that while politicians have frequently been celebrated, not enough recognition has been given to entrepreneurs, innovators, and hardworking citizens whose efforts drive economic growth.

“We have sung the praises of politicians and ignored those whose toil, innovation, and enterprise drive nations forward,” he said.

According to him, Ghana must now move beyond speeches and promises and focus on productive economic activity.

“So, after almost 70 years, the lesson is clear. We have had enough of talk,” he declared.

“Ghana must now become a nation of builders. We must move from political rhetoric to building business. We must move from slogans to production,” he said.

The Asantehene also said Ghanaians should embrace entrepreneurship and value creation rather than dependence and constant complaints.

“We must move from lamentation to enterprise. We must move from dependency to value creation,” he said.

“We must move from the garden path of promises to the hard road of work, discipline, sacrifice, and innovation,” he added.

He described the coming years as a critical period for Ghana’s economic transformation and called for a collective national effort towards building a resilient economy.

“The decade before us must be the decade of business,” he stated.

“It must be the decade in which all our energies are directed towards building a strong, resilient, ethical, and sustainable economy,” he added.

While acknowledging the role of government in maintaining stability and creating enabling policies, the Asantehene stressed that citizens and businesses also have a responsibility to contribute to national development.

“Our political leaders must continue to create the right environment, provide the right policy framework, and ensure stability,” he said.

“But the duty to create, to innovate, to build enterprises, to create jobs, and to add value to our natural resources rests also upon citizens, entrepreneurs, professionals, and institutions such as this university,” he added.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II pointed to global economic powers, including the United States, China, India, Japan, Singapore and Vietnam as examples of countries whose prosperity has been driven largely by innovation and enterprise.

“In today's world, business is the driver of prosperity,” he said.

“In the United States, in China, in India, in Japan, in Singapore, in Vietnam, and across the rising economies of the world, prosperity is being driven by enterprise, innovation, technology, creativity, and bold leadership."

The Asantehene also commended the leadership of the Otumfuo Centre for Traditional Leadership for promoting leadership and preparing young people for the future.

“That is why I am proud of the leadership of the Otumfuo Centre for Traditional Leadership, housed within this university, for recognising the demands of the future,” he said.