{
  "id": 10463881,
  "title": "Let private sector drive economic transformation – Alan Kyerematen",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/let-private-sector-drive-economic-transformation-alan-kyerematen",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-28T14:33:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
    "slug": "myjoyonline-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.myjoyonline.com/let-private-sector-drive-economic-transformation-alan-kyerematen/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "John Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, Founder of the United Party, has advocated for a private-sector-led economic transformation in Ghana. Kyerematen, who is also the Executive Director of the Centre for Strategic African Development, emphasized that the nation's economic growth must be driven by private initiative, ownership, industrialization, agricultural expansion, and an enabling business environment. Speaking at a public lecture in Accra, Kyerematen, a former Minister of Trade and Industry, stated that Ghana cannot build an enterprise economy if citizens and businesses remain overly reliant on the government. He stressed that supporting the private sector would foster entrepreneurship, innovation, and risk-taking, which are crucial for the country's prosperity. Kyerematen also called for an institutionalized public-private dialogue mechanism to ensure businesses can engage the government on policies and regulations impacting their operations. Regarding industrialization, Kyerematen stressed that macroeconomic stability alone is insufficient for economic transformation. He highlighted oil palm, cassava, garments, and textiles as strategic industries with the potential for job creation and value addition. Additionally, he advocated for utilizing Ghana's bauxite and iron resources to produce aluminum and steel locally, enabling the assembly of automobiles and other manufacturing activities. Kyerematen proposed increasing non-traditional export revenue to $25 billion by 2030, up from the current level of over $3 billion. On agriculture, Kyerematen called for a mass participation initiative, encouraging Ghanaians to own farms and operate them as businesses rather than merely for subsistence. He also proposed reforms in taxation and revenue mobilization, including consolidating statutory charges at the ports and listing at least 40% of shares in viable state-owned enterprises (SOEs) on the stock exchange to enable broader ownership among ordinary Ghanaians. Kyerematen commended the government for reducing inflation and stabilizing the cedi but cautioned against excessive dependence on foreign-exchange reserves for currency stability. He emphasized that stronger exports and increased confidence in the economy are essential for sustainable currency stability.",
  "summary": "The Executive Director of the Centre for Strategic African Development (CENSADEV) and Founder of the United Party (UP), John Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, has called for a fundamental shift towards a private-sector-led economy to transform Ghana from stability to sustained growth.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
        "title": "Limited time forced me to contest 2024 election as independent candidate — Alan Kyerematen",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/limited-time-forced-me-to-contest-2024-election-as-independent",
        "published": "2026-09-28T11:09:30.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}