At least twenty top business leaders are expected to provide strategies for businesses for 2018 and beyond at this year’s edition of the Crystal Ball Africa.
The leaders include; Mr. Tony Oteng Gyasi – CEO of Tropical Cables (Ghana), Howard Barrie (Project Finance Expert, UK; David Ofosu-Dorte – Pan-Africa Business Lawyer (Ghana), Richard Mbaiwa (CEO, Zimbabwe Investment Authority); Olumide Akpata (Business Lawyer, Nigeria).
Others are Alan Kyerematen (Minister for Trade), Hon. Ibrahim Awaal (Minister for Business Development), Yoofi Grant (CEO, GIPC) all from Ghana.
The Crystal Ball Africa 2018, the 5th in the series, seeks to bring businesses across Africa together and discuss issues and global phenomena that will affect their operations for the year 2018 and beyond.
This year’s edition is targeted at getting Africa to leverage on the continent’s Free Trade Agreement.
According to Mr. David Ofosu Dorte, the discussions have become apparent as ‘Intra African trade has grown from 5% to 15%.’
In addition, the potential of trade among African countries is estimated at between 2 trillion to 4 trillion dollars, hence the need to tap into the opportunities that have been least discovered.
“We look at this concept of trying to bring Africa together once every year and make us look into a crystal ball as to what will happen in the year,” Mr. Ofosu Dorte said on the Citi Breakfast Show ahead of the event.
He added, “Crystal Ball looks at what will happen to businesses; we are very apolitical or non-partisan…to the extent that we can help politicians implement their goals or businesses take advantage of politics. That’s the extent of politics that we go because it is business.”
Highlights of the program include discussions that border on Post-Mugabe Zimbabwe, Beyond Local Content, the Combined Effect of the EPA, CFTA & China Belt & Road Initiative, among others.
Also, six key issues that will be explored to guide participants’ business decision include; Donald Trump’s administration and Russia investigations; South Africa’s Jacob Zuma’s decision to step down or not before the elections as well as whether Nigeria’s economy will recover from current challenges.
This year’s Crystal Ball is on the theme, “”Expanding Businesses and Trade Across Africa – Opportunities Arising Out of the Continental Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) and Growing Intra-Africa Trade”.
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By: Pius Amihere Eduku/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana
