World Trade Centers Association and World Trade Center Accra to Showcase Business Opportunities in Africa at the 53rd Annual WTCA General Assembly

 The World Trade Centers Association® (WTCA®) — an international trade organization connecting more than 300 World Trade Center® (WTC®) locations in nearly 100 countries — and World Trade Center Accra will host the 53rd annual WTCA General Assembly (GA) in Accra, Ghana from April 23-28. This will be the WTCA’s first in-person GA since 2019 and the first to be held in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The WTCA GA is the association's premier annual event and will bring together WTCA members and their global business networks consisting of leaders from business, government, academia, media and international organizations, reflecting the WTCA's diverse global footprint. 

This year, the GA will include engaging roundtables and conversations, including keynote remarks from H.E. Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, and special remarks from H.E. Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) Secretariat on Monday, April 24. The full program agenda is available here. 

“Macro trends in four key sectors – automotive; agriculture and agro-processing; pharmaceuticals; and transport and logistics – and across Africa’s growth potential as a whole reveal tremendous opportunities for business expansion as population, income and connectivity are on the rise. The AfCFTA will unlock these opportunities, but not without disruption and change in business and production dynamics, especially due to increased intra-African trade,” said H.E. Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat in the January 2023 World Economic Forum Insight Report AfCFTA: A New Era for Global Business and Investment in Africa. “The benefits to African countries and to business success under the free trade area arise from the private sector understanding, recognizing and acting on the initiative’s value.” 

“This GA and the opportunities it creates for businesses to network and connect, will highlight the unique trade and investment potential presented by Africa as the world’s next economic frontier, especially in light of the new AfCFTA," said Edem Kofi Yevutsey, Executive Director of WTC Accra. "We have been working closely with the WTCA team in New York to bring the global WTCA network to Africa. We look forward to welcoming delegates worldwide to our vibrant country to take advantage of the growth opportunities across the continent."

With the theme of "Towards African Economic Integration and Enhanced Global Presence," the 2023 GA demonstrates the strength of the WTCA network and focuses on business connections on the African continent with buyers, sellers and investors in the various sectors, such as Agriculture; Agro-Tech, Food Processing; Manufacturing; Mining, Power and Energy; and Water, among others. The African continent represents a GDP of USD $12.7 trillion and its 1.4 billion people represent the fastest-growing population on the planet. It is also among the youngest, with 15.7 being the median age, and its young population is poised to make its mark economically and geopolitically.

“Africa has long been viewed as a strategic economic market for growth for countries around the world, and was, therefore, a key focus for the WTCA and its members. The time is right for this year’s GA to be held in Africa and our first in-person GA since the COVID-19 pandemic,” said John E. Drew, Chair, Board of Directors of the WTCA. “In my 30+ years of experience in organizing trade delegations with the WTCA, I trust that this year’s GA will be a great success bringing opportunities to Africa and strengthening the WTCA’s overall mission. The WTCA GA is about setting up critical infrastructures to promote global trade – creating connections and maximizing business growth and economies, and for this reason the event is open to both WTC members as well as non-members. Attendees will network with fellow professionals from around the world, exchange ideas, and explore potential business opportunities during the event's networking sessions.”