Accra: Mr Peter Frimpong Manso, the Lead Organiser of the Digital Assets Summit Africa (DASA) 2025, has urged Africa to take a proactive role in the digital financial revolution by crafting solutions that reflect the continent’s unique realities and aspirations. He emphasized that Africa should not remain a passive observer as digital assets reshape global financial landscapes.
According to Ghana News Agency, Mr Frimpong Manso highlighted the rapid evolution of digital assets worldwide, with over half a billion users already embracing the technology. He warned that if Africa delays in its approach, the continent risks being bound by external frameworks it did not help design. This call to action was made during the two-day DASA 2025 held in Accra, which aimed to foster a trusted platform for policy, innovation, and investment to secure Africa’s position in the global digital economy.
Mr Frimpong Manso stressed that the discourse on digital assets transcends technology; it encompasses inclusion, trust, employment, and sovereignty. He noted the importance of ensuring that individuals from all walks of life across Africa, from farmers in Tamale to entrepreneurs in Lagos, benefit from a more efficient, secure, and open financial system.
He further underscored the urgency of adoption, pointing out that digital finance could address long-standing economic challenges in Africa, such as reducing remittance costs, unlocking trade finance opportunities under the Africa Continental Free Trade Area, and expanding access to credit through tokenized assets. Achieving this, he said, necessitates collaboration among regulators, banks, innovators, and citizens with a shared vision and responsibility.
Mr Frimpong Manso also announced DASA as an annual platform destined to become a permanent fixture in Africa’s digital finance ecosystem. It will serve as a venue where policymakers, innovators, investors, and thought leaders converge to chart the future course.
Mr Harold Adlai Agyeman, Ghana’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, also addressed the summit, discussing the ‘Impact of Digital Assets in Africa’s Burgeoning Market’. He projected an annual growth rate of 6.37 percent for 2025-2026, with user penetration reaching 5.5 percent in 2025 and 5.9 percent in 2026. By the end of the year, Africa’s digital assets market is expected to reach US$5.6 billion with nearly 76 million users by 2026.
Despite this growth, Mr Agyeman noted that the market’s total capitalization of US$2.7 trillion and a digital assets custody of approximately US$708 billion indicate significant room for expansion. He highlighted the concentration of the market in regional hubs like Nigeria, South Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Ghana, with stablecoins pegged to the US dollar dominating digital transactions.
He pointed out that Africa is undergoing a digital revolution driven by mobile penetration, fintech adoption, and blockchain innovation. He expressed confidence in the digital assets spectrum’s potential to enhance financial inclusion, facilitate cross-border trade expansion, and support the Pan-African Payments System of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Promark Elite Ltd, the organization behind DASA, is an African-owned company dedicated to creating platforms that unite thought leadership, innovation, and partnerships to promote sustainable growth. Looking ahead, DASA envisions evolving into a network, a knowledge hub, and a catalyst for policy and investment collaboration across Africa.