Grenada Prime Minister rallies small economies to unlock protentials
Small economies worldwide, especially those in Africa and the Caribbean must join forces to own and unlock the full potential of fintech to drive purposeful change and create economic gains, the Prime Minister of Grenada, Dickon Mitchell has advocated.
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He said, “by uniting our resources, ideas and determination, we can unlock opportunities that no single nation could achieve alone,”. Mr Mitchell, in an exclusive interview with the Graphic Business during his official visit to Ghana last week, said a collaborative approach would enable African countries and their counterparts in the diaspora to build a more resilient fintech ecosystem that addresses the unique challenges faced by smaller economies.
The Prime Minister was in Ghana as the Special Guest of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the 3i African Summit hosted in Accra last week.
The 3i Africa Summit brought together key players in the financial, investment, policy-regulatory and digital technology domains in Africa including 10 Governors of Central Banks within and outside Africa.
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Opportunity
The Prime Minister said Accra was the ideal venue for critical discussions as Ghana continue to demonstrate an exemplary commitment to driving technological progress and meaningful investment.
“We are here to forge partnerships, elevate one another and lay the groundwork for a more prosperous, inclusive and technologically empowered future,” he said.
Mr Mitchell told the Graphic Business that Africa’s youthful and creative population around the world could spark the economic revolution on the back of technology and must be given the conducive environment and the necessary support to scale.
“By fostering partnerships and learning from one another, we can collectively unlock the potential of fintech to address issues such as access to credit, reducing the unbanked population and streamlining cross-border transactions.
Our shared vision is to build fintech solutions that uplift people, businesses and communities, while protecting and empowering the most vulnerable,” he said.
Leadership
Touching on leadership, he said the youth needed to get involved in politics and take up leadership positions to drive change instead of sitting on the fence and complaining.
Using his experience as an example, he said he only got involved with politics in 2021, but due to his commitments which resonated with the youthful population, his party won the bid to lead the government. “I don’t see why a young population that would live for the next 50 years would be led by people who will not be here in the next 10 years,” he said.
Partnerships
He recalled the partnership agreement signed between Ghana and Grenada in February on matters of culture, trade and education when President Akufo-Addo visited the island country in February this year.
Some of the initiatives may include cultural and educational exchange programmes, business and investment forums and knowledge-sharing platforms within the Afro-Caribbean brand.
Dr Kwame Nkrumah Museum
Mr Mitchell, as part of the visit, paid glowing tribute to Ghana’s first President when he toured the newly refurbished Dr Kwame Nkrumah Museum in Accra last Wednesday.
He laid a wreath that read “The Prime Minister and the people of the Republic of Grenada. Rest in Peace”, under the giant statue of Dr Nkrumah at the museum.
Mr Mitchell was also given a guided tour of the facility, including the tomb where the remains of Ghana’s first President are laid to rest. His tour guide, Kofi, told the Prime Minister the story of the last days of Dr Nkrumah before he died at age 63.
“He died in Romania and was sent to Guinea for burial but was later brought home at the instance of his mother and was later laid to rest here,” he explained. He also visited the tomb of the late wife of Dr Nkrumah, Fathia Nkrumah, who died on May 31, 2007.
The Prime Minister also had a guided tour of an exhibition that chronicles the life and works of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
The exhibition, in four sections, demonstrates his childhood, education and family life, political life, achievements and gifts and his overthrow, demise and tributes.
The exhibition highlights the arrest of six executive members of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) in February 1948 who were later termed the 'Big Six' of Ghanaian Politics. Dr Kwame Nkrumah resigned from the UGCC to form the Convention People's Party (CPP) and later led the Gold Coast to independence on March 6, 1957, now Ghana.
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In a brief interview after signing the guest book after the tour, Mr Mitchell said he was glad to pay a remarkable tribute to the son and founding father of Ghana who inspired and continues to inspire the sons and daughters of Ghana and Africa both at home and in the diaspora.
“I was honoured to pay this historic site visit on my first visit and it inspired me to remember that our job is to serve our people and leave a legacy that inspires the next generation,” he said.
The Prime Minister also visited the Arts Centre in Accra where he interacted with artists and craftsmen before visiting the Black Star Square which symbolises the independence of Ghana.
Slave trade
Mr Mitchell, on Thursday, made a historic visit to Elmina, the first European settlement south of the Sahara and the epicentre of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, located in the Central Region of Ghana. Mr Mitchell was welcomed to Elmina by the Municipal Chief Executive of the area, Ebo Appiah and was hosted at a grand durbar attended by chiefs, queen mothers and members of the traditional council of Elmina.
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Special cultural dances welcomed the Prime Minister to the durbar.
Twin city
In a welcome address, Mr Appiah suggested that the Prime Minister make his trip to Elmina an annual one and establish a twin city project between a city in Grenada and Elmina to signify the connection between Ghana and Grenada.“It is indeed a great honour to welcome His Excellency, the Prime Minister of Grenada to the Komenda Edina Eguafo Abrem Municipality.
On behalf of Nananom and the constituents of the municipality, we are deeply grateful for your presence today and hope that through our deliberations, we will be able to learn from each other and forge a strong partnership beneficial to the development of our countries,” he said.
He highlighted the municipality's tourism potential and proposed emulating some of Grenada's best practices in tourism to improve drastically on tourism potentials in
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Elmina.“I know that tourism is the mainstay of Grenada's economy with amazing conventional beaches and waterfalls.
Common tourist sites found in our municipality include the Elmina Castle, built by the Portuguese in 1482.
Recounting the history of the twin, he said, “It was the first trading post built on the Gulf of Guinea and the oldest European building in existence south of the Sahara.
Other tourist sites include the Fort St Jargo, the Dutch Cemetery, the Dompow Forest and the Asafo Post,” he said.
Gratitude
The Prime Minister, in his address, noted that he was in the country at the invitation of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and expressed profound gratitude for the invitation and hospitality.
He mentioned that it was an honour to host President Akufo-Addo in Grenada last February when he accepted the invitation to be the special guest at the 50th Anniversary of Grenada’s independence from British rule.
He mentioned Grenada's significant population of descendants of slaves shipped to the Caribbean, believing many of them originated from Ghana.
He emphasized the historical significance of his visit to Elmina, providing him with a firsthand understanding of the similarities between the people of Ghana and Grenada.
“How we dress, how we eat, how we dance, there are a lot of similarities,” Mr Mitchell said. The MCE presented a book containing the history of Elmina to the Prime Minister, while the Prime Minister also presented some gifts to the chiefs and people of Elmina.
Castle tour
A special tour of the Elmina Castle was organised in honour of Mr Mitchell, who was conducted around the Castle, once the biggest slave post from where millions of Africans were shipped to the Caribbean to work on plantations. Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister visited the Kakum Conservation Area, comprised of the Kakum National Park and Assin Atandanso Resource Reserve, surrounded by fringe communities from six different paramountcies.
Mr Mitchell walked on the famous canopy walkway at the Kakum National Park, completing the entire seven sections of the canopy walkway.