The maiden Ghana Converge Summit 2026 opened in Accra yesterday with a call on businesses to pursue sustainable growth rather than focus solely on profit-making.
Organised by the Crestmark Group, the summit was held on the theme, “Sustainable Commerce and Navigating the Future of Enterprise,” and focused on responsible enterprise, transformative leadership and long-term economic prosperity.
The event brought together business leaders, policymakers, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders to discuss emerging opportunities and challenges shaping the future of enterprise, including sustainability, climate transition, innovation and responsible commerce.
Opening the summit, the Chief of Staff, Mr Julius Debrah, said businesses must move beyond profit-making and embrace responsible commerce.
The speech, which was read on his behalf by the Presidential Adviser on National Resilience and Emergency Preparedness, Mr Ernest Brogya Genfi, said sustainable national prosperity depended on businesses creating jobs, protecting communities and upholding integrity.
He stressed that profitability could no longer be pursued at the expense of consumers, workers, communities or the environment.
Mr Genfi said businesses must measure success beyond profits and balance sheets by considering the jobs they created, fair treatment of workers, tax compliance, innovation and meaningful contributions to the communities in which they operated.
He cited the concentration of industries in Tema as an opportunity for businesses to collaborate on community development, saying collective interventions could improve infrastructure, education, environmental conditions and the quality of life of residents.
Representing Mr Debrah, he said the government was creating conditions for private-sector growth through economic reforms, including declining interest rates, easing inflationary pressures, relative exchange-rate stability and stronger external reserves.
He said the Government-CEO Compact 2026 and the Accelerated Exports Agenda were strengthening collaboration between the government and businesses while positioning Ghanaian enterprises to take advantage of opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Mr Genfi also highlighted investments in skills and innovation, including the National Apprenticeship Programme, Women’s Development Bank and One Million Coders Programme, as initiatives designed to prepare Ghanaians for emerging economic opportunities.
Adding a sustainability perspective to the discussions, Dr Enoch Opare Mintah urged businesses to view climate transition and sustainability not merely as compliance obligations but as strategic opportunities for innovation, investment, resilience and revenue generation.
Speaking on the topic, “The Enterprise of Tomorrow: How Ghanaian Business Can Convert Sustainability, Climate Transition into Competitiveness,” Dr Mintah urged companies to turn environmental challenges, particularly waste, into opportunities for innovation, revenue generation and business growth.
BY NELLY QUARCOOPOME
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