The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary Minority Leader, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, has lauded President John Dramani Mahama, for initiating the Kwahu Business Forum, which continues to shape the future of business in Ghana.

“This initiative is crucial not only for promoting dialogue but also translating those conversations into tangible actions that can propel us toward a brighter economic future,” the Minority Leader stated.

He was delivering his remarks at the opening of the Second Edition of the Kwahu Business Forum at Mpraeso in the Kwahu South District of the Eastern Region.

The Kwahu Business Forum, which is the brainchild of President Mahama, is a major initiative to foster entrepreneurship and support the growth of Ghana’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

It is a direct response to the government’s vision of expanding Ghana’s private sector capacity, especially in the agro-processing and manufacturing sectors of the economy.

As a non-partisan national development agenda, the Forum brings together business owners, industrialists, investors, start-ups, and major industry players to network, share experiences, and explore ways to raise capital or leverage available products from financial institutions.

The maiden forum, held during the 2024 Easter festivities at Mpraeso, successfully brought together business magnates and young entrepreneurs who shared their experiences and expectations with the then-candidate John Mahama.

The Second Edition of the Forum is on the theme: “The Future of Business: The Role of the Financial Sector”.

Mr Afenyo-Markin acknowledged the contribution of all the industry players, who were present at the Forum, saying, “Let this be the beginning of sustained support for entrepreneurship in Ghana, so that together, we can forge a path toward a brighter and more prosperous economic future".

He urged entrepreneurs and businesses at the Forum to take full advantage of the opportunities before them, encouraging them to boldly invest in their dreams, as the foundation of a collective future

Mr Afenyo-Markin urged political leaders to remain committed towards supporting local entrepreneurs and the private sector and to work together to build a business ecosystem where success is driven by merit, hard work, and opportunity, not by politics.

He described the Forum as an important platform that continued to inspire fresh thinking about Ghana’s economic future, while reminding Ghanaians that the future of their nation was deeply intertwined with the active participation of the private sector, particularly the strength of its indigenous businesses and the vision of its entrepreneurs.

He reiterated that Ghana’s economic future would depend heavily on the strength, agility, and resilience that were timely and foundational.

Mr Afenyo-Markin said no economy could thrive where access to finance remained for their indigenous enterprises to scale up and succeed.

“When we empower local businesses with the capital and confidence they need to grow, we do more than boost productivity; we open up new pathways for job creation,” Mr Afenyo-Markin said.

In a country where youth unemployment remained one of its most urgent national challenges, building a strong and inclusive financial ecosystem was not just an economic imperative; it was a social one as well.

He said as someone who had spent over two decades not only in public service but also in private and the weight of challenges that every Ghanaian entrepreneur must carry.

“I understand what often-unpredictable road of private enterprise, and so I know firsthand the thrill of opportunity it means to raise capital, to innovate through constraint, and to stay resilient in the face of enterprise, I understand the hurdles that define the entrepreneurial journey,” he said.

Mr Afenyo-Markin said he had walked the shifting market dynamics and a fragile entrepreneurial ecosystem, and these personal experiences had deepened his conviction that entrepreneurship was not just a livelihood, but it was nation-building.