Accra is set to host the 9th Ghana International Trade and Finance Conference (GiTFiC) from October 29 to November 2, with Africa’s debt challenges, trade integration, and youth engagement high on the agenda. The conference will feature the second edition of the Global Debt Initiative and, for the first time, the AfCFTA Tertiary Student Congress.
Speaking ahead of the event, Selasi Kofi Ackom, Chief Executive Officer of GiTFiC, emphasized the need for African-driven solutions to the continent’s debt crisis. He noted that for too long, financial frameworks designed outside Africa have failed to address the region’s unique realities. “This highlighted the need for an integrated, indigenous African financial architecture—cooked by Africans, made for Africans, and implemented by Africans,” Ackom said. That vision gave birth to the Global Debt Initiative, launched last year with input from the African Development Bank, the United Nations, ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development, and other key stakeholders.
Yet, Ackom acknowledged the uphill battle in gaining global recognition. He revealed that credit rating agencies such as Fitch, Moody’s, and S&P have resisted joining the dialogue, despite repeated invitations. “Even the African Union cannot compel their participation,” he said, stressing that their assessments continue to shape international borrowing limits and influence global perceptions of African economies. In response, GiTFiC has begun publishing monthly debt reports covering all 54 member states, offering data-driven counter-narratives to conventional ratings.
Beyond debt reform, the conference will also break new ground with the AfCFTA Tertiary Student Congress, designed to deepen youth involvement in continental trade. Since 2018, GiTFiC has run sensitization programs on AfCFTA across Ghana and other African countries, introducing student clubs in universities and even developing a specialized curriculum now taught in multiple institutions. The upcoming congress will bring student representatives from across the continent together in Accra to discuss entrepreneurship, industrialization, and policy-making within the AfCFTA framework. “If you don’t immerse students into AfCFTA at this formative stage, you risk losing out on sustainability,” Ackom explained, underscoring the importance of youth ownership of Africa’s economic future.
Looking ahead, the outcomes of GiTFiC 2025 will be monitored through a peer review mechanism under the GiTFiC Agenda 2031, a six-year plan integrated into Ghana’s national development strategy. With discussions involving the United Nations, the African Union, and major financial institutions, the initiative aims to drastically reduce Africa’s debt burden and establish durable debt management systems. As Ackom put it, the ultimate goal is to “prevent resolutions from ending up shelved in offices and libraries” and instead deliver measurable reforms for Africa and the wider Global South.