Accra, April 15, – Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has called for a decisive strengthening of public–private partnership models as Ghana seeks to accelerate entrepreneurship, industrialisation and job creation.
He said sustainable national development could not rest on state dominance alone, stressing that economic transformation depends on empowering private individuals and enterprises within a clear and predictable regulatory framework.
Mr Kufuor made the call at the inaugural Design and Technology Institute (DTI) Legacy Dialogue Series on Entrepreneurship and the Future of Work in Accra, on the theme: “Within Our Lifetime: Building Ghana’s Industrial Future.”
“The State by itself cannot enrich society,” he said. “Wealth creation happens when individuals are allowed to venture, take risks and pursue profit within a regulated environment. That is how jobs are created.”
He said Ghana’s historical economic experience showed the strength of private initiative, pointing to the cocoa industry’s early expansion in the Gold Coast, driven largely by individual farmers responding to market incentives.
Mr Kufuor contrasted this with post-independence state-led development approaches, which he said limited private participation and slowed industrial progress.
“We removed the risk-taker from the development equation,” he said, adding that economies such as Malaysia, South Korea and Singapore had advanced faster by better balancing state support with private enterprise.
The former President said his administration’s economic vision was rooted in promoting enterprise through a “golden age of business,” where government creates the enabling environment while the private sector leads production and investment.
“Why should we be afraid of people becoming wealthy?” he asked. “When entrepreneurs succeed, the State also benefits through taxes, jobs and growth.”
He stressed that public–private partnership was central to addressing Ghana’s development challenges, particularly youth unemployment and weak industrial capacity.
With a large youth population, he warned that relying solely on the State to create jobs was unsustainable and could deepen social pressure.
Earlier, Founder and President of DTI, Ms Constance Elizabeth Swaniker, said Ghana’s industrial future depends on practical skills development, innovation and stronger collaboration between industry, academia and government.
She noted that significant numbers of young people remained outside employment and training, describing it as a structural challenge requiring urgent policy attention.
Ms Swaniker said DTI was addressing the skills gap through hands-on training linked directly to industry needs, enabling young people to build enterprises and secure jobs.
She announced that the institute’s new entrepreneurship hub in Berekuso would be named the J. A. Kufuor Centre for Entrepreneurship in recognition of the former President’s contribution to private sector development.
She added that ongoing expansion projects would help scale technical and vocational training and strengthen Ghana’s industrial workforce pipeline.
Other speakers called for stronger alignment between education systems and labour market needs, and for sustained collaboration to make public–private partnerships more effective in driving development outcomes.
The DTI Legacy Dialogue Series is expected to become a recurring national platform for discussions on industrialisation, entrepreneurship and the future of work.
GHBUSS
15 April 2026
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