Leaders of the Liberia Chamber of Commerce and the Pan African Chamber of Commerce and Industry have called for stronger business partnerships, increased investment in local enterprises, and practical measures to turn Africa’s expanding continental market into tangible economic opportunities for businesses and entrepreneurs.
Speaking at the opening of the seventh edition of the Prosperity Africa Conference in Monrovia, Liberia Chamber of Commerce President Natty Davis and Executive Director of the Pan African Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Kebour Ghenna, stressed the need to move beyond business meetings and declarations toward concrete deals, stronger regional supply chains, and job creation.
The conference brings together chambers of commerce, business leaders, investors, entrepreneurs, development partners, and members of the diplomatic corps to explore opportunities for trade and investment across Africa.
Davis said Liberia’s participation in the gathering reflects the country’s ambition to build a more diversified economy in which Liberian-owned businesses play a greater role in investment, production, procurement, and regional trade.
He described prosperity in practical terms, including businesses expanding to employ more young people, farmers securing reliable markets, women entrepreneurs obtaining financing, and local suppliers winning contracts that enable them to grow and compete.
“Our responsibility during this conference is to help make those possibilities a reality,” Davis said.
He emphasized that strengthening domestic enterprises and connecting them to major investment projects would be critical to ensuring that economic growth translates into opportunities for Liberians.
According to Davis, supplier development remains central to the Liberia Chamber of Commerce’s efforts to increase local participation in the economy. He said the chamber is working to help Liberian businesses meet procurement requirements, improve product quality, strengthen management, and establish relationships with larger buyers.
Davis also highlighted the chamber’s participation in the Liberia Investment, Finance and Trade (LIFT) project and the Youth Entrepreneurship Investment Bank (YEIB) initiative.
Through LIFT, he said, the chamber is collaborating with government institutions and development partners to advance supplier development, including the establishment of a supplier development portal and stronger connections between Liberian enterprises and procurement opportunities.
The YEIB initiative, he added, is intended to help young entrepreneurs build viable businesses, improve their readiness for investment, and connect with business support services, markets, and financing.
On local content and business ownership, Davis said the chamber had participated in validating the draft local content policy and welcomed the submission of draft regulations intended to give practical effect to Liberia’s Liberianization policy.
He called for a consultative process that provides clarity, supports consistent implementation, and strengthens the capacity of Liberian-owned businesses to participate in investment and procurement value chains.
However, Davis cautioned that effective implementation would require more than regulations, stressing the importance of enterprise development, access to finance, skills and technology transfer, and an environment that encourages productive investment and partnerships.
AfCFTA must deliver shared prosperity
For his part, Ghenna urged African countries to ensure that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) becomes a platform for shared prosperity rather than simply a larger market that benefits the continent’s strongest economies.
He warned that Africa’s economic integration would fall short of its objectives if smaller economies continued to struggle while more industrialized countries expanded their commercial dominance.
“The AfCFTA must become an instrument of shared prosperity, not simply a larger market,” Ghenna said.
He called on African countries with stronger industrial and financial capacities to invest across borders, develop regional supply chains, transfer skills and technology, and help smaller economies transition from exporting raw materials to producing higher-value goods.
Ghenna also urged African banks to provide more financing for trade and production, while calling on governments to prioritize infrastructure and business competitiveness.
He said larger African companies should view smaller economies not merely as markets for their products, but also as potential investment destinations, suppliers, and partners.
Ghenna further challenged chambers of commerce across the continent to move beyond organizing conferences and facilitating networking, arguing that their effectiveness should be measured by their ability to help businesses secure financing, find buyers, meet standards, and complete transactions.
“A chamber should not be satisfied with organising conferences and exchanging business cards,” he said.
Deal rooms expected to drive business transactions
Ghenna said the Prosperity Africa Conference was designed to facilitate actual business transactions through its deal rooms, where participating businesses can discuss potential partnerships, prices, quantities, product standards, financing, and delivery arrangements.
He explained that the process begins before businesses enter the rooms, with participants identifying what they want to buy, sell, or invest in and chambers helping to connect them with suitable partners.
He said the responsibility of the chambers should continue after the meetings by helping businesses address outstanding challenges and move promising discussions toward signed contracts and completed trade transactions.
“That is the difference between bringing businesses together and helping businesses succeed,” Ghenna said.
He added that the success of the AfCFTA should not be measured by the number of meetings held but by the businesses strengthened, contracts concluded, and jobs created.
Liberia urged to prepare for 2027 trade fair
Ghenna also called on Liberia to begin preparing for the Intra-African Trade Fair scheduled for Lagos, Nigeria, in November 2027, describing it as an opportunity to showcase the country’s enterprises, investment prospects, and entrepreneurial potential.
He urged the Liberia Chamber of Commerce to work with the government and private sector to organize a strong Liberian business delegation focused on finding buyers, attracting investors, and securing commercial contracts.
“Liberia should go to Lagos ready to do business,” he said.
The call comes as African countries seek to expand intra-continental trade and establish stronger commercial relationships under the AfCFTA framework.
For Liberia, the conference presents an opportunity to strengthen links with regional and continental markets while addressing challenges facing local businesses, including access to finance, procurement opportunities, product standards, and the capacity to compete.
Both speakers emphasized that Africa’s economic future depends on creating opportunities for businesses of all sizes and ensuring that smaller economies are active participants in the continent’s commercial expansion.
Ghenna concluded that the prosperity of the continent would depend on whether countries could translate their commitments into lasting partnerships, investments, contracts, and employment.
“A stronger Liberia makes a stronger West Africa, a stronger West Africa makes a stronger Africa,” he said.
