Students & Young Professionals African Liberty Academy (SYPALA 2026)
Theme: AFRICA’S ASCENT: FORGING RESILIENT ECONOMIES & INCLUSIVE GOVERNANCE
DAY 1 – Monday, 24th August 2026
Theme: Building Resilient Economies: Diversification, Markets and Growth
| Time | Session / Topic | Speaker / Facilitator |
|---|---|---|
| 6:30 AM – 8:00 AM | Breakfast | All Participants |
| 9:00 AM – 9:20 AM | Opening Remarks | Franklin Cudjoe (Founding President, IMANI CPE) Prof. John Kwaku Mensah Mawutor (Vice Chancellor, UPSA) |
| 9:20 AM – 9:40 AM | Keynote Address | Dr. Tony Oteng Gyasi (Board Member, IMANI CPE; Founder & Chairman, Tropical Cable and Conductor Ltd.) |
| 9:40 AM – 11:00 AM | Building Resilient Economies to Enhance Inclusive Governance in Africa. As Africa seeks to build resilient economies, how can policymakers leverage innovation to create jobs, improve public service delivery, and strengthen democratic institutions? | Prof. Godfred A. Bokpin (Professor of Finance and Economics, University of Ghana) |
| 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM | Coffee Break | All Participants |
| 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM | Economic Indices: Why do Most African Nations Rank Poorly on Varied Global Economic Indexes? If a blueprint works for those highly ranked and successful, why do African Nations struggle to replicate them? | Leslie D. Mensah (Macro & Public Finance Research Economist; Member, Ghana Fiscal Council) |
| 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM | Lunch | All Participants |
| 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM | Breakout Session & Discussion: What do you consider the biggest structural problems holding back Africa’s economic transformation, and what would be your top three strategic solutions? (30m discussion, 10m group presentation, 25m Q&A) | Dennis Asare (Snr Research Associate, IMANI CPE) Amprofi Agyeman (Snr Research Associate, IMANI CPE) |
| 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM | Budgets: Are there good and bad budgets? What are the consequences of ending up with either? Is Ghana’s dance with the IMF over or are we still gyrating towards the 18th dance? | Prof. Godfred A. Bokpin (Professor of Finance and Economics, University of Ghana) |
| 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM | An Evening with Sponsor – AXIS Pensions Topic: The Paradox of Life and Wealth (Followed by Closing Remarks and Announcements) |
Afriyie Oware (CEO, Axis Pension Trust) |
| 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM | Dinner | All Participants |
DAY 2 – Tuesday, 25th August 2026
Theme: Institutions, Governance and Prosperity
| Time | Session / Topic | Speaker / Facilitator |
|---|---|---|
| 6:30 AM – 8:00 AM | Breakfast | All Participants |
| 9:00 AM – 10:10 AM | The Accountability Deficit: Corruption, Transparency and Public Trust – How is the African Union measuring up? | Hon. Kwami Edem Senanu (Chairperson, AUABC) |
| 10:10 AM – 10:40 AM | Coffee Break | All Participants |
| 10:40 AM – 11:50 AM | What is the State of Democracy in Africa? Reflecting on The Afrobarometer: Citizen’s Perspective on Governance and Accountability. | Dr. John Osae-Kwapong (D&D Fellow, CDD-Ghana) |
| 11:50 AM – 1:00 PM | What is the State of Civil Society in Africa? How are non-state actors, NGOs coping with steep cuts in international development aid, conflicts and intrusive governments? | Charles Kojo Vandyck (Head of Capacity Development, WACSI) |
| 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM | Lunch | All Participants |
| 2:00 PM – 3:10 PM | Limited government, Rule of Law, Property Rights and Economic Freedom-and Free Markets? Are these institutions enough to fix Africa’s development challenges? | Kofi Bentil (Senior Vice President, IMANI Africa) |
| 3:10 PM – 4:30 PM | Breakout Session & Discussion: What would you consider most important governance reforms that can unlock economic freedom, accountable governance, and meaningful citizen participation in African countries? (40m discussion, 5-7m presentations, 15m Q&A) | Dennis Asare (Snr Research Associate, IMANI CPE) Amprofi Agyeman (Snr Research Associate, IMANI CPE) |
| 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM | An Evening with a Sponsor – Star Oil Topic: Beyond the Pump: The Strategy, Innovation, and Logistics Behind Market Leadership in Ghana’s Downstream Oil Marketing Sector (Followed by Closing Remarks and Announcements) |
Philip K. Tieku (Chief Executive Officer, Star Oil) |
| 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM | Dinner | All Participants |
DAY 3 – Wednesday, 26th August 2026
Theme: Innovation, Entrepreneurship and the Future Economy
| Time | Session / Topic | Speaker / Facilitator |
|---|---|---|
| 6:30 AM – 8:00 AM | Breakfast | All Participants |
| 9:00 AM – 10:10 AM | Africa’s Digital Transformation: Artificial Intelligence, Financial Technology, and Digital Public Infrastructure – What do these mean for the Unemployed, Hungry, and the Informal Worker. | Selorm Branttie (Vice President, Strategy Director) |
| 10:10 AM – 10:40 AM | Coffee Break | All Participants |
| 10:40 AM – 12:00 PM | Powering Africa: Will Clean Energy Transition Deliver Africa’s Manufacturing Future – What is Africa Missing? | Dr. Kwabena Donkor (Former Minister of Power) |
| 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM | Afternoon with a sponsor – Kasapreko | Kasapreko Team |
| 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM | Lunch | All Participants |
| 2:30 PM – 5:00 PM | Training Session: AI and Evolution of Research: Live, hands-on labs training participants in secure AI prompt engineering and verification loops | John Sitsofe Mensah (Technology Policy Analyst) |
| 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM | Evening with Sponsor – GOLDBOD Topic: From the Mines to Economic Prosperity: Why the GoldBod Matter for Ghana’s Economic Transformation Story (Followed by Closing Remarks and Announcements) |
GOLDBOD Team |
| 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM | Dinner | All Participants |
DAY 4 – Thursday, 27th August 2026
Theme: Africa’s Future: Leadership in a Changing World
| Time | Session / Topic | Speaker / Facilitator |
|---|---|---|
| 6:30 AM – 8:00 AM | Breakfast | All Participants |
| 09:00 AM – 10:30 AM | Africa in a Multipolar World: How can Africa identify its Voice, Agency and Influence in a Multipolar World? | Col. (Rtd). Festus Aboagye (Ulinzi Africa Resources) |
| 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM | Coffee Break | All Participants |
| 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM | The Seductive Illusion of Africa’s “30% Mineral Wealth”: Explaining how “Katanomics” is undermining Africa’s Competitiveness in the Critical Minerals and Clean Technology Industry. | Bright Simons (Honorary Vice President, IMANI Africa) |
| 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM | Lunch | All Participants |
| 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM | Leadership Session: What are the leadership, skills and policy priorities needed to position Africa for inclusive and resilient growth? | Ato Coleman (Snr. Fellow, IMANI) |
| 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM | Seminar Reflections | IMANI & UPSA Teams |
| 4:00 PM – 4:20 PM | Closing Remarks | Prof. John Kwaku Mensah Mawutor (Vice Chancellor, UPSA) Franklin Cudjoe (Founding President, IMANI CPE) |
| 4:20 PM – 5:00 PM | Certificate of Award Presentation (Followed by Closing Remarks and Announcements) |
IMANI Executive Team |
| 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM | Farewell Dinner | All Participants |
Breakout Session Structure (Applicable to All Four Days)
- Participants: 100 participants divided into 4 groups of 25.
- Facilitation: Each group nominates one lead discussant and one rapporteur.
- Output: Each group prepares a concise policy recommendation, implementation roadmap, business model, or innovation proposal aligned with the day’s theme.
- Documentation: Rapporteurs submit written recommendations, which are consolidated into a SYPALA 2026 Leadership Declaration to be presented during the closing ceremony.
