Standard Chartered would host its 2015 Africa Summit in Accra on 30 April 2015, under the theme; “The last frontier; is Africa ready for transformation?”

The half-day event is expected to bring together Standard Chartered’s clients, business leaders, policy makers, the media and Standard Chartered’s Award Winning Global Research Team to share valuable market insights and expert opinion on the selected discussion points.

The event will dive deeper into two main topics namely:

1. Translating Africa’s growth potential into equitable development and human security’ and

2. Africa Rising: Was it an apparent inflection or mere ripple?’

The discussions would be moderated by international journalist and Chair of the Royal African Society, Zeinab Badawi.  

Commenting on the event, Standard Chartered Ghana’s Chief Executive, Kweku Bedu-Addo said, “Ghana and, for that matter, Africa has remained on the economic runway for far too long. The potential remains obvious however there are some hurdles we need to overcome. At Standard Chartered, we think there is an interplay of geopolitical and structural economic issues which are precipitating suboptimal outcomes and realities. This forum will bring together panels of experts from both sides of the coin onto a common platform to discuss and suggest a practical forward-looking workable solution for Ghana and Africa.”

Given that Standard Chartered established its first branch in Africa some 150 years ago and has been a consistent stakeholder in Africa’s development and economic evolution, the Bank believes that Africa still makes a strong case for investment but may require some fine-tuning and further refinement.

Providing her comments, Standard Chartered’s Africa Head of Research, Razia Khan, said, “Despite the slowdown in growth in Africa this year the longer-term structural drivers of growth are still very much in place.  Africa has the youngest population of any region. More importantly however, its share of the working age population is set to rise sharply in the decades ahead.  Together with financial deepening this will drive the emergence of a larger middle class, and consumption will gain in importance.  Africa is also becoming more accessible to investment – building on its relationship with existing trade partners and deepening ties with new partners from the emerging world”.

The Vice President, Kwesi Amissah-Arthur is expected to deliver a keynote address at the event.  Other speakers and panelists will include Mr. Seth Terkper, Minister of Finance, Ghana, Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for West Africa and Sun Boaohong, the Chinese Ambassador to Ghana and some business leaders from the key growth engines of the Ghanaian economy.