Ghana International Bank’s flagship conference, GHIBCONVERGE 2025, concluded last week with a clear message: Africa must rapidly shift from exporting raw materials to trading value-added goods.
Held in London, the three-day gathering brought together central bankers, industry leaders, and finance experts to design a practical roadmap for transforming the continent’s commodity trade.
GHIB CEO Dean Adansi set the tone, highlighting that only 14% of Africa’s exports are processed goods — a figure stagnant for decades. “We are sitting on untapped billions because we export raw cocoa instead of chocolate, raw gold instead of refined bullion,” he told attendees. He called for dedicated value-addition funds, better-structured trade finance, and regulatory harmonization to accelerate industrialisation under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Central bankers echoed the urgency. The Gambia’s Governor Buah Saidy emphasised how domestic refining and regional value chains can stabilise currencies and build economic resilience. Representing the Bank of Ghana, First Deputy Governor Dr. Zakaria Mumuni outlined efforts to expand local gold refining, noting it would reduce import dependency and shield the economy from global price swings.
Lord Paul Boateng, former UK Cabinet Minister and GHIB board member, framed commodities as geopolitical leverage. “Critical minerals, cocoa, gold — these are bargaining chips in a changing global order,” he said, urging African nations to use these resources to secure technology transfer and sustainable investment.
Panels covered everything from hybrid financing models for cocoa farmers to blockchain use in trade documentation. A strong emphasis was placed on embedding sustainability and ESG standards into commodity value chains to meet demand from environmentally conscious markets.
The conference also featured partnership announcements, including a new tie-up between GHIB and Vista Bank to expand trade finance in West Africa. Niche Cocoa Industry Ltd. CEO Edmund Poku received the inaugural Trader of the Year award for his company’s role in producing finished cocoa products and creating local jobs.
In closing, Adansi reaffirmed GHIB’s role as a bridge between African opportunity and global capital. Real transformation, he noted, requires coalition — not competition — between the public and private sectors. Whether that collaboration can finally turn billions of raw potential into realised value remains the continent’s next great test.
