Ghana, US business leaders to meet at global summit

Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, Victor Emmanuel Smith, Executive Chairman of the Jospong Group of Companies, Dr Joseph Siaw Agyepong, and Chief Executive Officer of the National Youth Authority (NYA), Osman Abdulai Ayariga, are among the prominent dignitaries expected to attend the maiden Level Up Global Business Summit in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The three-day summit is scheduled for October 9 to 11, 2026, and is expected to bring together business leaders, entrepreneurs, policymakers and young professionals from Ghana, the United States and other participating countries.

The event will focus on culture, business development, youth empowerment and people-to-people exchanges, with organisers seeking to deepen economic and social ties between Ghana and the United States.

The Level Up Global Business Summit is being organised by Junior Chamber International (JCI) as part of efforts to promote entrepreneurship, strengthen business networks and create opportunities for international collaboration.

The summit is expected to provide a platform for participants to exchange ideas, explore investment opportunities and identify avenues for increased trade in goods and services between Ghana and the US.

Chairman of the summit, JCI Senator Robert T. Cook, said Ambassador Smith had confirmed his participation when the JCI organising team met him at his office in New York.

According to him, the summit would provide young entrepreneurs with opportunities to expand their businesses beyond their domestic markets and establish valuable international connections.

He said the event would also facilitate knowledge-sharing and help Ghanaian businesses develop the networks and expertise required to operate successfully on the global market.

Mr Cook, who was enstooled as Nana Kofi Odoom I, Mputuhen of Otsir in the Central Region during one of his visits to Ghana, expressed excitement about hosting participants in North Carolina.

He described the state as a diverse and welcoming destination capable of providing an ideal environment for meaningful business and cultural exchanges.

Project Manager of the summit, JCI Senator Emmanuel Osei, popularly known as Mennel, said the organisers were looking forward to bringing together participants with diverse experiences and expertise.

He said the summit would create opportunities for participants to develop relationships and identify areas for business collaboration.

We are hoping that this business summit will establish a very good platform for us to be able to exchange business services between Ghana and the U.S.,” he said.

Mr Osei disclosed that a number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from Ghana were expected to participate in the October event.

Their participation, he said, would provide the businesses with opportunities to showcase their products and services, explore partnerships and develop international markets.

A member of JCI Ghana and the summit organising committee, Yasin Billy, said the initiative was consistent with JCI’s longstanding mission of creating opportunities for young people through education, training, entrepreneurship and leadership development.

He noted that JCI had spent more than a century developing young leaders through practical projects, leadership training and professional networks.We have helped young people grow through real-world projects, leadership training, and meaningful connections that drive positive change,” Mr Billy said.

He expressed confidence that participants would leave the summit with new knowledge, connections and opportunities to help them address emerging challenges in the business environment.

Another member of the organising committee, Richard Harcourt Crabbe-Martey, commended the collaboration between JCI Ghana and its United States counterpart.

He said the partnership demonstrated JCI’s commitment to creating platforms through which young people could develop leadership skills and contribute to economic and social development.

JCI, he noted, remains focused on empowering young people between 18 and 40 years to create positive change in their communities and on the global stage.

The Level Up Global Business Summit is therefore expected to serve as both a business networking platform and a forum for strengthening Ghana-US relations, particularly through youth-led entrepreneurship, trade, investment and cultural exchange.