Adnan Adams Mohammed
A Ghanaian entrepreneur has called for deliberate efforts to align political administration with business development and empowerment.
The successful businessman believes that is the only way to drive Ghana’s sustainable economic development, warning that the country’s progress will remain stunted if the two do not align.
Seidu Agongo, the Chief Executive of defunct Heritage Bank in an interview last week highlighted the challenges business leaders face and the need for policymakers to deliberately adopt business perspectives into decision-making.
“The only way that we can get Ghana to develop is if politicians align with businessmen”, he said.
“Business people face so many problems to which they have to find solutions, so if you are able to get a businessman to sit with the politician and let him understand the business perspective and share ideas, we’ll go a long way,” he posited.
Being a byproduct of political ‘witch-hunting’ with his bank allegedly politically targeted by the former President Akufo-Addo administration, Mr Agongo expressed concern over the lack of practical business experience among some government officials, arguing that many politicians make critical decisions affecting millions without firsthand knowledge of the entrepreneurial landscape.
“Sometimes you have a politician who has never ventured into any business nor registered a company before. He just comes from school and becomes a minister in a particular sector and is supposed to make decisions for 34 million people, including business people,” Mr. Agongo remarked.
Stressing on the fact that Ghana lacks the necessary institutional frameworks to correct policy missteps, he pointed out that this makes it even more crucial for political leaders to engage directly with experienced business figures.
He further suggested that successful entrepreneurs like himself, Ibrahim Mahama, and Zoomlion’s Joseph Siaw Agyepong could make a lasting impact on society by guiding the next generation and helping them avoid costly mistakes.
“Let’s assume I, as a businessman, my brother Ibrahim Mahama as a businessman, and Zoomlion’s Agyepong, as a businessman, decide to adopt 300 kids each and mentor them so they don’t make the mistakes we have made—because some mistakes are grievous – can you imagine the knock-on effect on their families and society in general and the transformation we can make without depending on the World Bank, USAID, etc.? This can turn Ghana around because we become better when we depend on ourselves,” he said.
Mr Agongo’s call comes amid concerns about youth unemployment and the need for local mentorship programmes that reduce reliance on foreign aid and intervention.
He urged business leaders, religious figures, and other influential people to invest their time and resources in grooming young talent.
“Good friends like Ibrahim Mahama, Zoomlion’s Agyepong, most of the businesspeople, pastors, and people in leadership should try as much as possible to adopt at least 200 or 300 young guys and mentor them. Let’s see how best we can build them up to achieve whatever they desire because, at the end of the day, the wealth that we are looking for will not go with us into our grave,” he said.
According to Mr Agongo, a well-mentored generation would be able to sustain and expand the legacies of today’s business leaders, rather than mismanaging inherited wealth.
“When we don’t even give the right training to our kids in life, trust me, they are going to sell it like kelewele,” he cautioned, referring to the popular Ghanaian street food.
