Mr. Alex Dadey, Executive Chairman of the KGL Group of Companies, has urged African governments, businesses, and financiers to deliberately cultivate homegrown business champions as a pathway to sustainable economic growth under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

He made these remarks while addressing the Presidential & Business Leaders’ Dialogue, held on Day Three of the 2026 Africa Prosperity Dialogues (APD).

The dialogue, held under the theme “Empowering SMEs, Women & Youth in Africa’s Single Market: Innovate.

Collaborate. Trade,” took place at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) on Friday, 6th February 2026.

Mr. Dadey emphasised that AfCFTA is not merely a trade arrangement but a platform for dignity, opportunity, and the freedom to define Africa’s own economic narrative.

“Africa’s future will be built by Africans who believe in Africa,” he said, stressing that innovation across the continent is abundant, but the real challenge lies in converting innovation into scalable enterprises.

According to Mr. Dadey, scale can only be achieved through collaboration—across borders, sectors, and between public and private actors.

Mr. Dadey indicated that Africa must move beyond fragmentation, rivalries, and language barriers to establish fair and transformative trade.

“Trade that builds factories, not dependencies. Trade that creates jobs for youth and opens doors for women and SMEs,” he said.

He stressed that corporate citizenship and good governance are essential components of sustainable growth.

For him, public-private partnerships (PPPs) should go beyond commercial collaboration to include social interventions that strengthen communities, not as charity but as long-term investments in stability, trust, and shared prosperity.

Mr. Dadey warned that while small businesses are celebrated, those that achieve regional or global competitiveness often face systematic destabilisation.

“Whenever an African business moves from survival to significance, it suddenly attracts attention, not celebration, not partnership attention, but scrutiny, regulatory hurdles, and narrative attacks,” he said.

He noted that foreign multinationals often enjoy regulatory patience and policy support, while African champions can be undermined through media narratives, local proxies, and foreign-backed advisory interventions.

Drawing on decades of experience working abroad, Mr. Dadey described this as a “real economic sovereignty fight,” cautioning that local actors sometimes unknowingly participate in campaigns that disadvantage African enterprise.

Despite these challenges, he pointed to examples of African businesses that have successfully scaled, including MTM Group and other regional leaders, noting that their growth came from discipline, institutional support, and the courage to compete internationally.

“Local champions are not just wealthy individuals.

They are economic shock absorbers, anchors of supply chains, investors in research and development, and the patient capital that foreign direct investment cannot replace,” Mr. Dadey said.

He further emphasised that Africa’s greatest advantage lies not only in its resources and demographics but in the deliberate choices made today.

“AfCFTA gives us the framework to turn these assets into enduring prosperity—prosperity built by African leaders who choose cooperation over fragmentation, predictability over uncertainty, and long-term value over short-term comfort,” he stated.