Ghana’s Minority Leader, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, has urged a transformative shift in national values to prioritize meritocracy, entrepreneurship, and civic responsibility, emphasizing the need to depoliticize business support systems.
Speaking at the 2025 Kwahu Business Forum in Mpraeso-Kwahu, Eastern Region, he proposed a National Orientation Programme to recalibrate societal attitudes, particularly among youth, toward fostering a competitive economy driven by private sector innovation.
Addressing attendees under the theme “The future of business: The role of the financial sector,” Afenyo-Markin criticized the pervasive reliance on political connections for opportunities, calling it a barrier to progress.
“We must deliberately shift to a mindset that values hard work over shortcuts, merit over connections, and contributions over entitlement,” he asserted. Highlighting the public sector’s inability to absorb job seekers, he stressed that future employment hinges on entrepreneurial growth, urging policymakers and educators to prioritize private sector development.
Drawing from his tumultuous journey as a young entrepreneur in transport and logistics, Afenyo-Markin recounted challenges such as exorbitant loan rates, labor indiscipline, and politically motivated sabotage.
He described instances where drivers pilfered goods or abandoned duties, leading to financial strain, and revealed how his trucks were targeted after the 2008 political transition due to his affiliation with the New Patriotic Party (NPP). “Entrepreneurship should not be viewed through a partisan lens,” he insisted, recounting how former Vice President John Mahama intervened to resolve supply chain disruptions affecting a cement factory.
The Minority Leader appealed to financial institutions to evolve beyond traditional financing roles, advocating tailored solutions for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and closer partnerships with local businesses.
“Banks must bridge the gap between access to finance and entrepreneurial potential,” he said, emphasizing the need for products aligned with Ghana’s economic realities. He also commended former President Mahama for initiating the Kwahu Business Forum, lauding its role in fostering actionable dialogue.
Ghana’s push for a depoliticized business environment comes amid longstanding debates about systemic barriers to enterprise. Analysts note that while successive governments have pledged support for SMEs, implementation often falters amid partisan interference and bureaucratic hurdles.
Afenyo-Markin’s emphasis on mindset change echoes broader calls for institutional reforms to unlock the private sector’s potential, a critical pillar for economic resilience in an era of global uncertainty. His personal anecdotes underscore the human cost of politicized business climates, reinforcing the urgency of bipartisan commitment to equitable growth.
