Vice President delivers keynote address at 16th Oxford Africa Conference

Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang delivered the keynote address at the 16th Oxford Africa Conference, saying that Africa must position itself to lead in areas such as artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, energy transition, and data sovereignty. She said this was important as the African Continental Free Trade Area presents opportunities for market integration and growth. She also said that the Continent could not remain solely a consumer of externally built systems; rather, Africa must develop technologies and solutions rooted in its own realities and priorities.

The 16th Oxford Africa Conference was organised by the Oxford Africa Society on the theme: "Anchoring Africa: Grounded Leadership in the Age of Disruption". The annual conference brings together leaders, academics, students, and innovators to reflect on Africa's future in a rapidly changing world. The Vice President said transformation depended on governance that remains disciplined, ethical, connected to implementation, and grounded in the people it serves. She highlighted initiatives such as the 24-Hour Economy policy and the proposed Women's Development Bank as practical efforts to integrate those often excluded from formal economic systems.

Vice President Prof Opoku-Agyemang said ultimately, Africa's future would depend not only on the scale of disruption confronting the continent, but on how deliberately and collectively Africa chooses to organize itself to lead.