ACCRA, Ghana, 25 September 2026 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/ – Over 1,000 policy leaders, central bank officials, investors, and technology founders gathered in Accra for the Digital Assets Summit Africa (DASA) 2026. Beyond mapping out central bank regulations and real-world asset tokenization under the theme “From Policy to Prosperity,” the two-day summit launched a deliberate initiative: extending an open invitation for Francophone West Africa to join the dialogue, share in regional innovation, and help shape the continent’s digital asset movement.
Building the “Francophone Bridge”
While Francophone stakeholders are often left out of major technology gatherings in Anglophone country Ghana, DASA 2026 pledged to mark a turning point. Keynote speaker Angela Akua Asante, Strategic Communications Advisor and Ghana Country Lead at African Media Agency (AMA), issued a clear call to end this historic divide. Positioning AMA Ghana as the Francophone bridge connecting Anglophone hubs with French-speaking markets, Asante stressed that technical and financial rails alone cannot solve Africa’s $74 billion trade finance deficit and West Africa’s $7 billion of unrealized trade revenue without intentional, bilingual communication:
“Geographic presence is not the same as inter-market adoption. Infrastructure enables the connection, but strategic communication drives actual cross-border trade. This is an ‘Africans Not Talking to Each Other’ challenge, and AMA is building the bilingual Francophone bridge to solve it.”
As DASA’s exclusive Pan-African PR partner, AMA collaborated with Togo-based Hyver Organization to disseminate the event’s proceedings across its network of future tech leaders in Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, and Togo, ensuring Francophone audiences are directly included in Ghana’s digital asset leaps.
Government & Leadership Backing
Endorsing AMA Ghana’s vision to leverage strategic bilingual communications for cross-border integration, Hon. Dr. Rashid Hassan Pelpuo (MP), Minister of State in Charge of Special Initiatives, reinforced the Ghanaian government’s commitment to overcoming historical barriers with neighboring states:
“Africa, to say that we are one and have an AU should also mean we share ideas, trade together, share technology, and consume our knowledge with our friends and neighbors. The language barrier between Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, our very close neighbor sharing borders, is a challenge keeping us apart. We are happy to discuss with our neighbors and bring our shared innovation to the world scene.”
Calling for full regional inclusion, Peter Frimpong Manso, CEO of ProMark Elite Ltd and organizer of DASA, echoed the urge to join forces. He expressed strong hopes of bringing future editions of DASA directly to a neighboring Francophone country:
“Within West Africa, this artificial division tends to get English-speaking countries to do things together while Francophone countries do their own thing. We are all one people. The bigger the market, the bigger the opportunities for all of us.”
Policy Progress & Startup Innovation
DASA 2026 provided direct insight into Ghana’s regulatory architecture, where the Bank of Ghana presented guidelines under the Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASP) Act 1154, detailing licensing, consumer protection, and mandates requiring platforms to hold 70% to 90% of user funds in cold storage. Panels also highlighted stablecoin settlement rails to eliminate costly multi-currency conversions across the WAEMU region and accelerate trade under the AfCFTA.
The summit spotlighted early-stage African innovation through two major pitch competitions:
The WeWire HackHive 2.0 Hackathon on Day 1:
Conversational AI platform Lemo Finance took first place ($20,000 in platform credits), followed by milestone verification tool Crednce ($15,000), global stablecoin wallet Base 54 ($10,000), and transaction observability tool Conduit ($5,000).
Startup World Cup Qualifier on Day 2:
Milestone-verification platform Crednce won the regional qualifier, securing a spot to represent Africa at the Global Grand Finale in San Francisco for a $1 million prize.
Unlocking Gateways for Francophone Innovators
For regulators, technology founders, and investors across Francophone Africa, following DASA’s evolution offers a direct window into the region’s emerging digital asset rails. As organizers look toward hosting future editions of DASA in neighboring Francophone markets, stakeholders across the WAEMU region will be looking to secure an early seat at the table.
Francophone founders stand to gain access to international venture capital, global pitch competitions like the Startup World Cup, and scaling networks across Anglophone markets. At the same time, regional regulators and policymakers will be eyeing these forums to harmonize cross-border frameworks, align stablecoin oversight, and ensure local monetary interests are reflected as West Africa’s unified digital economy takes shape.
With coverage and proceedings from Accra now circulating across Francophone newsrooms, academic networks, and digital forums via AMA Wire, DASA 2026 establishes the groundwork for a truly unified West African digital economy.
Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of DASA
About African Media Agency (AMA)
AMA is an award-winning, women-owned and led, pan-African communications agency and strategic market entry partner, helping organizations navigate and succeed across African markets and beyond.
AMA combines on-the-ground intelligence with strategic communications to support market entry, shape policy conversations, and drive outcomes across awareness, reputation, and growth. Through an integrated approach spanning public relations, reputation management, crisis preparedness, digital communications, and content, AMA delivers campaigns that influence perception and unlock opportunities with key stakeholders.
With expertise across sectors including finance, health, science, technology, and agriculture, AMA translates complex topics into clear strategies, ensuring clients are not only visible but also well positioned to lead.
Headquartered in Abidjan, with offices in Johannesburg, Durban, Accra, and New York, and a presence in over 30 African markets, AMA combines continental reach with strong local insight.
About ProMark Elite Limited
ProMark Elite Limited is the Ghana-based sister company of UK-Ghana management consultancy ProMark Group Ltd. Specializing in delivering innovative solutions across fintech, IT, procurement, and world-class events, ProMark Elite is the organizer behind flagship initiatives like the Digital Assets Summit Africa (DASA), dedicated to accelerating Africa’s transition toward an inclusive digital economy.
