NELEF 2026: Young leaders urged to act now on Ghana’s development challenges

What happened

At the 2026 edition of the National Emerging Leaders' Economic Forum (NELEF), held at the University of Professional Studies, Accra, Daniel Asomani—founder and CEO of VODEC Africa and NELEF convener—delivered the keynote. Under the theme "Building Africa's Future: Emerging Leaders Driving Inclusive Growth and Regional Transformation," he framed the event as a call to action for young Africans to take responsibility for development in their communities and countries.

Main messages

He also made a systems argument. Africa has useful advantages—natural resources, a young population, expanding markets and entrepreneurial talent—but those assets do not automatically yield development without functioning systems to connect skills and ideas to markets and capital.

Job market numbers that matter

Asomani cited two figures to show the scale of the challenge: about 12 million young Africans enter the labour market each year, while only roughly 3 million formal jobs are created annually. That gap, he said, explains why so many young people struggle to translate skills into sustainable livelihoods and why leaders must address the bottlenecks that block entrepreneurship and job creation.

Integrity and practical examples

He pushed a strong stance against corrupt hiring practices, describing episodes where funds collected for logistical support were misused by others. Asomani said he refused to approve improper use of money and rejected verbal schemes that would later be blamed on unclear authority. He argued that a person's name, reputation and integrity are critical assets and urged emerging leaders to protect them.

He stressed accountability at every level: practise integrity in workplaces, businesses, families, professional associations and online spaces. Leaders who want accountable public institutions must first exhibit those values in the smaller arenas they control.

NELEF's trajectory and regional reach

Asomani explained NELEF's origin in a 2017 conversation with university students about whether they planned to leave Ghana after graduation. That dialogue spurred VODEC Africa, NELEF and the VODEC Africa Idea Challenge to connect young people to capital, mentorship, networks and markets.

Policy and sector priorities

Asomani named sanitation and healthcare as areas needing stronger, long-term systems. He urged treating sanitation in cities as both a public-health and economic issue rather than a temporary concern tied to available funding. He pointed to polluted waterways—such as the Odaw River and Korle Lagoon—as examples of problems that require sustained investment and system-level fixes.

What this means for participants and readers

The talk was a mix of moral charge and practical guidance: take initiative locally, build competence and networks, say no to corrupt shortcuts, and press for systemic solutions that enable youth-led entrepreneurship and employment. NELEF's expansion beyond Ghana signals an intent to tackle issues that cross borders and require regional collaboration.

Bottom line

NELEF 2026 framed young leaders as active agents who must pair personal integrity and local action with pressure for better systems in jobs, sanitation and healthcare. The forum also positioned itself as a growing pan-African platform to connect youth to capital, mentorship and markets.