Bawumia, Afede, others honoured at Corporate Executive Awards

Championing the agenda of digitalisation to enhance service delivery within the public sector has earned Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, the recognition of the Outstanding Digital Transformation Leader of 2021.

He was among 33 personalities honoured at the 12th edition of the Ghana Entrepreneur and Corporate Executive Awards in Accra over the weekend.

Other awardees on the night included Dr John Ofori-Tenkorang, Director General, Social Security &National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) and Togbe Afede XIV, Founder and Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of SAS Finance Group Ltd, who have adjudged the Overall Best CEO of the Year Award 2021 and Ghana’s Greatest Entrepreneur of All Time Award 2021, respectively.

On the theme, “Entrepreneurship in a Digital Era,” the event organised by the Entrepreneurs Foundation of Ghana (EFG), was well attended by members of the diplomatic corps, business executives and government representatives.

Reading a speech on behalf of the Vice President, Professor Kwaku Appiah-Adu, a Senior Advisor to the Vice President, said it was worth recognising individuals who developed the nation through job creation.

“We are extremely passionate about entrepreneurship, for which reason we will need the nation’s top business leaders and serial entrepreneurs to form a pool of models and mentors that will groom the new breed of entrepreneurs and wealth creators for the country,” he said.

With entrepreneurship playing a critical role in resetting the economy to normal levels after the COVID-19 pandemic, Prof Appiah-Adu reiterated the commitment of the government to developing the right policies and interventions that prioritised youth and women-led businesses.

He said that the rate of advancement in digital technologies would require businesses to re-evaluate their operating models to include, accommodating new learnings, acquiring fresh skills, and finding the right level of adaptation to stay competitive.

“Digitalisation is helping to improve efficiency in all aspects of business,” he said.

Dr Fareed Arthur, the National Coordinator of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), who represented the Ministry of Trade and Industry, said the Government intended to strengthen its support to the private sector through the establishment of the National Development Bank.

He said that the provision of long-term financing, including working capital and investment loans, would transform access to finance for the private sector.

“Government would not renege on its effort and would continue to work with all stakeholders, especially the private sector to drive the economy into sustained prosperity,” he said.