The 1st International Conference On Africa Mindset Transformation And System Thinking ICAMTST 2024 and EXPO has ENDED in Kumasi with an urgent call for a paradigm shift that inspires responsible citizenship and visionary leadership in African Countries.
The ground breaking conference organized by the Global Institute for Mindset Transformation and Attitudinal Change (GIMTAC) brought together the finest of transformative leaders with demonstrated successes in academia, industry, institutional and state governance.
The institute is leveraging these impact driven synergies, to maximize Africa’s growth potential by identifying opportunities to reform citizenship and leadership thinking; across corporate and state institutions.
Participants were treated to thought provoking conversations interspaced with delivery of papers; syndicated workshops; key note speeches; unique findings and perspectives about positioning of Africa in the Global picture as well as individual and group task driven exercises on concepts of systems thinking and mindset renewal
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the three-day event, President for Global Institute for Mindset Transformation and Attitudinal Change (GIMTAC) Prof. De-Graft Owusu-Manu passionately emphasized that Africa stands to reap immense benefits if actionable steps culminate in a total mental revolution of the continent.
“Africa is blessed with natural resources; a good weather and fine brains but we are faced with a myriad of problems, poverty, illegal mining, poor waste management and a host of others. The hired labour thinks of stealing; public sector efficiency is so low; workers come to work late and leave before closing hours; our nurses don’t care about patients. It is all a mindset issue,” he enumerated.
“Studies have linked development to the mindset. Even the good book talks about being transformed by the renewal of the mind. If we positively decide to change our mindsets, everything else follows in that positive trajectory. in the same way, if we change the mindset negatively, things will take a nose dive,” Prof. De-Graft admonished.
Prof. De-Graft Owusu-Manu, was confident the conference would not just be a mere talk shop but was well planned to achieved the aims for which it was organized.
SIGA on Ghana’s abysmal resource management
Addressing the conference, Director General for the State Interests and Governance Authority John Boadu lamented how Ghana has for several years failed to maximize the potential of State Owned Organizations (SOEs) which hold close to 400 million dollars of the nation’s investments.
John Boadu said it was embarrassing that the value of Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) averaging 75 billion dollars is worth pittance compared to annual revenues of individual tech firms like UBER; YouTube; Amazon, Microsoft and IBM.
He invited participants to consider how countries that till the land to produce the world’s cocoa receive just 10 billion dollars out of the 200 billion cocoa value chain while a whopping 190 million dollars accrues to players adding value through manufacturing, processing, distribution and financing of the cocoa industry.
Chairman’s remarks on failing systems
Sharing his views about the seeming retardation of Africa’s growth in the league of nations; board chair of AESL and Professor with the University of Ghana Business School PROF. Kwame Asamoah pointed to a failing system in Africa that accommodates incompetence and lawlessness.
Prof Kwame Asamoah who chaired the conference pointed out that several Africans have distinguished themselves creditably; contributing immensely in various capacities in other countries as a result of the conducive, orderly and sustainable systems that support growth, enforcement of the rule of law, appreciation and reward for productivity.
Industry Partner Remarks
The conference hosted industry, religious, traditional and national leaders with notable presentations of the Africa Continental Free Trade Secretariat; the McDan Group of Companies and the Jospon Group of companies.
Facilitating a session on Africa’s positioning in global trade and supply logistics; Conference partners, the McDan Group established principles from the original mental constructs and concepts of ‘Africa’ to drum home the power of collaboration, integration and trust as catalyst to attaining the absolute and remote value abundantly inherent in the wealth of the continent.
The Group further drew parallels that the continent could leverage from the McDan group’s key principles of a visible identity of quality; acceptability on the global competitive plain; relevance in addressing challenges of the future and good corporate citizenship built on the hinges of society management.
Delivering a key message on how the Systems Thinking approach could catalyze trade and sustained economic growth of Africa, Dr. Fareed Arthur, National Coordinator for the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) buttressed the point that all regional blocks that have excelled traded more among themselves than with other continents.
He noted with concern that the entire continent of Africa contributes just 3% of Global Trade even though it produces 70% of all raw materials required to power the economies of other continents.
He wondered how intra African Trade stood at an estimated 12 to 15% for a continent with 1.5 billion people while America, Europe and Asia recorded 40 to 50 percent of trade among their own Nabors.
Dr Fareed Arthur insisted, to achieve the desired outcomes of AfCFTA, it was crucial to adopt a holistic and system thinking approach that considers the interconnectedness of all the components involved in its implementation.
He explained, “The AfCFTA which is potentially the largest trading block in the world requires readiness by Africans to change our mindsets, to go beyond ourselves and to commit to a higher goal of uniting the continent into a single functional economic entity.”
“The way forward is to transform our mindsets; a fundamental shift in paradigm and a new awakening that prioritizes community, country, continent and citizenship.”
Commending GIMTAC for putting together the conference he added, “It is obvious that for the AfCFTA to succeed, there is the need for such a transformation and that is why I find this conference most appropriate.”
Other topics that stirred constructive discussions bothered on transformative education, impact driven research, building sustainable cities, the galamsey menace, raising the next future leaders, building empathetic communities, the role of traditional and religious leaders in fostering a mindset change, good governance and sustainable corporate leadership.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM/Ivan Heathcote – Fumador
