The 3rd International Conference on Business Management and Entrepreneurial Development (ICBMED), a platform that discusses research-based solutions to the developmental problems in Africa, has been launched at the University of Professional Studies Accra (UPSA).
The annual conference which opened on Thursday is under the theme, “Small and Medium-Scale Enterprise development in Africa: Information and communications technology (ICT) as a strategic tool.”
The Vice-Chancellor of UPSA and chair for the occasion, Professor Abednego Amartey, said every year, the conference selected topics that required solutions necessary to help address emerging business challenges in the country and the continent at large.
“Annually, the ICBMED selects a challenging issue and provides the forum to interrogate the issue and propose research-based solutions,” he stated.
Prof. Amartey explained that ICT could fast-track Africa’s drive to the development and there was, therefore, the need to empower SMEs in that regard.
“A country’s most valuable asset is its professional and intellectual stock. As intellectuals and professionals in Ghana and Africa, we owe it to our country and continent our optimum input for the development of new strategies, technologies and creation and design of solutions towards alleviations of existing problems”
Delivering his keynote address, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of eSolutions Consulting Solomon King Adiyiah said most SMEs were not growing because they did not have digital development strategies.
He said technology provided endless opportunities for growth for SMEs, and there was, therefore, the need to incorporate it into the day-to-day running of the business.
“If you don’t embrace technology these days, you will be left behind. Technology is transforming the way business is done and SMEs are being forced to do things differently. It has become a matter of survival,” he noted.
The Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof Charles Barnor introduced the editorial team who happened to come from across West Africa. There will be plenary presentations on the selected topics. The conference ends on Friday, 21st of April, 2017.
