Mr. Ebenezer Asante, Senior Vice President of MTN Group, has called for stronger alliances between academia, government, and industry to foster a generation of African innovators prepared to shape the continent’s technological future.
Speaking at the 2025 graduation ceremony of Accra Technical University (ATU), Mr. Asante urged young African graduates to take the initiative in shaping the continent’s technological destiny by becoming creators and innovators rather than mere consumers of digital technology.
He stated, “The curious, tech-savvy graduate of the 21st century will not only use technology but will also shape it with foresight and a sense of shared human purpose.”
Referring to the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) 2023 Report, Mr. Asante noted that Africa’s share of global technology patent filings had decreased from 4.4 per cent a decade ago to 3.2 per cent in 2023, despite the continent accounting for over 18 per cent of the world’s population. This statistic highlighted the urgent need for improved collaboration among universities, private sector players, investors, and policymakers to boost research, invention, and the industrial application of technology on the continent.
“If we are serious about using technology to address Africa’s complex developmental challenges, we must become part of the technology supply chain and the global ecosystem of invention,” he said.
Drawing inspiration from futurists Alvin Toffler and Professor Akosua Ampofo, Mr. Asante highlighted that Africa’s competitiveness in the digital age would rely on its youth’s ability to keep learning, unlearning, and relearning. He explained that the most successful graduates would be those who combine technical skills with creativity, empathy, and teamwork traits that foster innovation in the 21st century.
He encouraged the ATU graduates to embrace a growth mindset, emphasising that their success would rely more on their psychological and behavioural flexibility than on their academic qualifications.
“Do not fear the unknown. Be clear about what you possess that can make a difference and keep applying yourself until you achieve a breakthrough. Stubborn perseverance is what the world is waiting for from you,” he said.
Mr. Asante also emphasised how technology can tackle Africa’s real-world challenges across various sectors, including sanitation, healthcare, agriculture, education, and energy. He highlighted the inspiring work of The BuzStop Boys, a youth-led initiative addressing urban sanitation in Ghana, as an example of how civic-minded innovation can make a difference.
He challenged graduates to use their technical training to develop IT-enabled waste management systems, smart data-driven city solutions, and even robotics or drone technologies to optimise waste collection and improve urban hygiene.
Reflecting on the changing nature of employment, Mr. Asante noted that technology had enabled young people to work globally without relocating. He encouraged graduates to seize opportunities in freelancing, digital entrepreneurship, and hybrid work, leveraging platforms powered by AI, cloud computing, and digital payment systems such as Mobile Money (MoMo).
Mr. Asante called on the graduates to actively contribute to advancing Ghana’s national digitalisation agenda and the African Union’s Agenda 2063, both of which envision an integrated and prosperous Africa driven by innovation, inclusivity, and sustainability.
BY TIMES REPORTER
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