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Sam Cohen, CEO of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council, continued her programme in Accra with a day focused on banking, policy alignment, and practical trade dialogue at the Africa Prosperity Dialogues.

The morning began with the Ghana International Advisory Council, where Sam co-chaired discussions alongside John Apea, CWEIC’s Head of Mission in Ghana. The session brought together CWEIC Strategic Partners to discuss future priorities and how collaboration can be strengthened to deepen Ghana–Commonwealth trade and investment relationships.

CWEIC Roundtable: “The AfCFTA–Commonwealth Opportunity”

CWEIC was honoured to be able to organised a roundtable on the margins of the the Africa Prosperity Dialogues, focused on the “The AfCFTA–Commonwealth Opportunity.”

Moderated by Shanthi Annan, with opening remarks from Sam and Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, Executive Chairman of the Africa Prosperity Dialogues and CWEIC Chair for the Ghana Hub, the session examined how the AfCFTA framework and the Commonwealth network can align in practical ways to make cross-border trade easier for businesses — particularly SMEs, women-led enterprises and young entrepreneurs.

Discussions centred on the persistent barriers businesses still face despite policy progress: customs delays, standards recognition, access to trade finance, payment systems, and reliable market information. The conversation highlighted how the “Commonwealth Advantage” — shared legal systems, standards, and lower trade costs — is an underused tool that could directly support AfCFTA implementation in practice.

Industry engagements

Later in the afternoon, Sam visited Sentuo Refinery for meetings with Chairman Xu Ninquan, discussing industrial investment and Ghana’s refining capacity within regional value chains. The day concluded with further discussions with Mrs Yang Yang, Managing Director of Zonda Tec Ghana Limited, continuing the dialogue on the role of internationally active firms supporting Ghana’s infrastructure and industrial landscape.

Day two reinforced a consistent theme from the visit: the importance of aligning finance, logistics, industry, and policy so that cross-border trade under AfCFTA becomes simpler and more accessible for businesses in practice.