President of the Republic Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will be the special guest of honor at the 5th Ghana CEO Summit. The event, which is the foremost business conference for CEOs, business leaders, entrepreneurs, investors and policy makers, is to be held on 17th and 18th May, 2021 at Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City in Accra.

Over the years, the President of Ghana has been a major participant of the summit. On occasions where he is unable to personally participate, he designates either the Vice President or a high-ranking cabinet minister to deputize for him.

This year, the President will engage CEOs about the nexus between his digital transformation strategy and post-Covid economic recovery strategy.
A dialogue session with the President will delve into important issues ranging from resetting the economic development agenda, public sector leadership, business regulatory reforms, social inclusion to digital economy agenda of government.

The summit, which is the initiative of Chief Executives Network Ghana Limited, is being organized in partnership with Deloitte, Ghana Investment Promotion Center and State Interest and Governance Authority.

This year’s summit is the 5th edition of the program which began in 2016 and has been held annually except in 2020, where organizers unavoidably postponed it in compliance with restrictions imposed as part of measures to obviate the spread of COVID-19 infections.

The summit is committed to unlocking Ghana’s economic potential by offering concrete, innovative and actionable solutions, championing private sector led growth, leading discussions around innovative public policies and best growth-oriented business practices to help the country move forward, build resilient companies and outstanding CEOs.

Theme, speakers and discussion areas

The highly respected thought leadership platform is focusing on the theme “Digital transformation: Powering business and government reset for a post-pandemic economic resilience; a public-private sector dialogue.” The widespread disruption of COVID-19 and its effects have presented a window of opportunity to reflect, reimagine, and reset the economy, business models and leadership approach to create a healthier, stronger and more prosperous future.

The responses of nations, businesses and individuals have proven that a holistic digital strategy framework facilitates resilience and agility. The summit will explore the building blocks of a national digital strategy.

Speaking at the recent media launch of the event in Accra, Ernest De-Graft Egyir Founder and CEO of Ghana CEO Summit observed that, “Now is the time for a great reset of Ghana’s economy to make government and businesses digitally resilient.”

He further noted that, “The pandemic has exposed the need to improve technology efficiency for the continuity of government and businesses; we are in a watershed moment for the digital transformation of governance and business ecosystems.”

It is the consideration of Mr. Egyir that the result of COVID-19 presents a shared opportunity for successful leaders to seize the moment and advance a new path of digital transformation that aligns with the changing role of business and government.

This will position such leaders as powerful enablers of long-term value creation for all their stakeholders.

There will be sessions with ministers, CEOs of public and private sector organizations. The multi-format summit will also present thematic sessions on the ease of doing business, African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), corporate governance, sustainable development goals, healthcare and industry outlook. These sessions will be addressed by top-tier CEOs and experts with unimpeachable experience.

To offer profound, dynamic and relevant value to participants, the summit will leverage CEO masterclasses, expert insights, plenary presentations, CEO business cases as well as strategic projections about post-pandemic leadership and economic recovery.

Value proposition

The summit offers the opportunity for leaders to learn from best practices of fast-growing companies while promoting their organizations. Participants also can benefit from an unrivaled networking platform, identify new business opportunities, adjust strategies to suit current economic and geopolitical outlook, gain exclusive insights and build lasting relationships with dignitaries who are looking to create alliances and business partnerships.

Further, the summit fosters a healthy public-private sector engagement, making it possible for governments to showcase economic and sector-oriented strategies while the private sector gains clarity on issues of concern directly from policy makers.

The Ghana CEO Summit is a respected thought leadership platform and networking environment that creates opportunities for high impact learning and cutting-edge content for top-level discussions and decision-making.

CEO Excellence Awards

An aspect of the summit is the acknowledgement of the achievements of businesses and leaders through the CEO Excellence Awards. The award celebrates business success, innovation, leadership and contribution to the economy. Categories include Lifetime Business Builder Achievement Award – Hall of Fame, CEO of the Year and CEO of the Decade.

History and impact of the summit

Each of the previous four editions of the summit has been attended by over 500 CEOs and shareholders of major African companies, heads of states, international investors, ministers of state and diplomats and C-level corporate executives. This league of high-level participants spans diverse fields including energy, finance, infrastructure, technology, education, health and governance.

Participants have come to view the conference as a credible result-oriented thought leadership platform. Learnings from the sessions have led to significant enhancement in the adoption of digitization in many fast-growing organizations.