Africa’s Growth Depends on Empowering SMEs – Telecel Group CEO
By Praisebell Rosemond Larbi
The Chief Executive Officer of Telecel Group, Moh Damush, has called for deliberate and sustained investment in digital connectivity and skills development across Africa, stressing that the continent’s long-term growth and competitiveness depend on the empowerment of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), women, and young people.
Speaking at the Presidential and Business Leaders’ Dialogue during the Africa Prosperity Dialogues (APD) 2026 in Accra, Mr Damush said Africa’s vast natural endowments and youthful population would continue to be underutilised unless they are supported by robust digital infrastructure and the skills required to transform potential into scalable economic value.
“Resources alone are like seeds kept in a jar full of potential, but dormant. It is knowledge, connectivity, and digital trade that turn them into solutions that transform lives,” he said.
He underscored the importance of digital transformation as a foundation for inclusive growth, noting that connectivity is no longer a luxury but a prerequisite for participation in modern trade and innovation. According to him, without access to reliable digital platforms, African businesses, particularly SMEs, will struggle to compete within and beyond the continent.
Mr Damush highlighted the need to build a functional digital single market to unlock the full benefits of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). He explained that AfCFTA presents a unique opportunity to integrate a market of more than 1.4 billion people through seamless cross-border payments, e-commerce platforms, and data-driven trade systems.
However, he cautioned that Africa’s single market agenda would only succeed if it is shaped from the ground up by traders, creators, and innovators at the grassroots level. In this regard, he identified SMEs, women, and youth as the true drivers of Africa’s economy.
“SMEs account for over 90 per cent of African businesses, while young people make up more than 60 per cent of our population. Yet too often, they are treated as beneficiaries rather than builders. Empowering SMEs, women, and youth is not charity; it is an economic necessity,” Mr Damush stated.
He further noted that women-led businesses are 17 per cent more likely to adopt digital tools when cross-border trade barriers are reduced, pointing to connectivity as a critical enabler of women’s economic participation and youth-led innovation across the continent.
Telecel Group, a leading African telecommunications operator with its largest footprint in Ghana, is investing significantly in programmes aimed at promoting digital inclusion, entrepreneurship, and skills development. Among these initiatives are the Africa Start-Up Initiative Programme, the DigiTech Academy, and Startocode, which seeks to train 100,000 Ghanaian youth under the Government’s One Million Coders Programme.
In addition, the company’s Women in Business initiative provides targeted support to women-led SMEs by improving access to digital tools, financing opportunities, and capacity-building training.
The Africa Prosperity Dialogues 2026, held from February 4 to 6 at the Accra International Conference Centre, brought together heads of state, policymakers, business leaders, investors, entrepreneurs, and youth advocates under the theme: “Empowering SMEs, Women & Youth in Africa’s Single Market: Innovate. Collaborate. Trade.”
As Africa continues to grapple with high youth unemployment, gender disparities, and uneven access to digital technologies, Mr Damush stressed that closing the digital divide must be treated as both an economic and social priority.
“Connectivity isn’t just an economic tool; it’s an equaliser. If we get this right, Africa will not simply prosper, it will redefine prosperity,” he concluded.
