Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States of America (USA), Mr Victor Emmanuel Smith; the Executive Chairman of the Jospong Group of Companies, Dr Joseph Siaw Agyepong; and the Chief Executive Officer of the National Youth Authority, Mr Osman Abdulai Ayariga, are among dignitaries expected to attend the maiden Level Up Global Business Summit in Charlotte, North Carolina, from October 9 to 11.

The dignitaries are expected to speak on a range of issues, including culture, business development, people-to-people exchanges and youth development in Ghana and the USA.

The summit is aimed at strengthening the bonds of friendship between Ghana, the United States and other participating countries through dialogue, networking and the exchange of ideas.

It is being organised by Junior Chamber International (JCI), an organisation whose mission is to promote businesses, foster entrepreneurship and create lasting global impact.

The Chairman of the Level Up Global Business Summit, JCI Senator Robert T. Cook, told The Ghanaian Times in an interview on Wednesday that Ambassador Smith had confirmed his attendance when the JCI team met him at his office in New York.

He said the summit would provide a platform to empower young entrepreneurs and promote the exchange of goods and services between Ghana and the United States for mutual economic benefit.

Mr Cook, who was enstooled as a chief during a visit to Ghana and goes by the stool name Nana Kofi Odoom I, Mputuhen of Otsir in the Central Region, said the summit would also help businesses scale up to the international level through knowledge-sharing and the creation of new networks.

He said he was excited to welcome participants from different backgrounds to North Carolina, describing the state as one known for its diversity, warm ambience and hospitality.

The Project Manager of the summit, JCI Senator Emmanuel Osei, popularly known as Mennel, said he looked forward to engaging participants in meaningful conversations and sharing knowledge and expertise.

Mr Osei said the summit would help strengthen relationships among participants and create opportunities 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 added.

He said a number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from Ghana would participate in the summit in October.

A member of JCI Ghana and the summit committee, Yasin Billy, said JCI had continued to fulfil its mandate of creating opportunities for young entrepreneurs through education, training, encouragement and business support.

He said the organisation, which had spent more than 100 years developing leaders, had helped young people grow through real-world projects, leadership training and meaningful connections that promoted positive change.

“We have helped young people grow through real-world projects, leadership training, and meaningful connections that drive positive change,” Mr Billy said.

He said JCI would continue to create opportunities for young people and contribute to economic progress and prosperity.

Mr Billy expressed the hope that participants would be better equipped to take on new challenges after the summit.

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

He said JCI remained committed to its core mandate of providing leadership development opportunities to empower young people between 18 and 40 to create positive change in their local and global communities.