Raising African Business Champions Must Be A Continental Agenda — Alex Apau Dadey
Group Executive Chairman of KGL Group Alex Apau Dadey has called for a deliberate push across Africa to build resilient companies that can compete globally while strengthening local economies.
Addressing top CEOs and policymakers at the 10th Ghana CEO Summit 2026, with President John Dramani Mahama in attendance, Dadey said Africa’s next phase of growth will depend less on ambition alone and more on the continent’s ability to create lasting institutions grounded in bold leadership, discipline and long-term vision.
Speaking on the theme “Raising African Champions: Leadership, Resilience And Industrial Scale Lessons From Ghana’s Business Transformation,” he said Africa has long been seen as a place of huge potential. The real question now, he added, is whether nations are building the institutions, industrial capacity and governance systems needed to turn that potential into global influence.
“Potential by itself has never built any nation. Africa must decide if we will remain a market for other people’s ambitions or build companies that shape the world economy ourselves,” he said.
Protect Indigenous Enterprise
Dadey said accountability and compliance matter, but African businesses must not be viewed with suspicion simply because they grow big.
He argued that no country achieves industrial success by weakening its own producers or undermining responsible local companies.
“If Ghana does not protect and support its responsible indigenous enterprises, who will build the continental champions we want to see?” he asked.
Leadership As Missing Infrastructure
He described leadership as Africa’s “missing infrastructure,” saying industrialisation will fail without it. Africa needs leaders who think beyond election cycles, quarterly profits and short-term gains, he added, and who focus instead on building institutions and driving long-term transformation.
On wealth and continuity, Dadey said too much African wealth disappears in one generation because it is spent instead of being structured. He called for stronger governance, clear succession plans and strategies that reinvest capital productively so wealth lasts across generations.
He also thanked President John Dramani Mahama for his consistent advocacy for local ownership, indigenous participation and stronger Ghanaian enterprise as key pillars for national development.
KGL Group Partners With CNBC Africa
In a major announcement, Dadey revealed a strategic partnership between KGL Group and CNBC Africa. The deal will bring a CNBC Africa country office to Ghana, hosted by KGL Group.
He said the partnership is about telling more African business stories, deepening conversations on enterprise and investment, and giving Ghana greater visibility in the global business space.
The 10th Ghana CEO Summit 2026 continues to serve as one of Africa’s top platforms for business dialogue, policy discussion and thought leadership on industrial growth, economic development and the future of African enterprise.
