3Xtra and Stanbic Investment Management share practical money lessons at first Cedi Sense Conference

Accra, Ghana — The ballroom at ESP Hotel was buzzing on Saturday morning, but the conversation wasn’t about lofty economic theories or abstract market forecasts. It was about the money in your pocket, the susu box on your dresser, and the uncomfortable gap between earning a salary and actually building wealth.

That was the driving energy behind the first-ever Cedi Sense Conference, organized by 3Xtra (a brand of MG Digital) under the theme “Building Wealth in the Digital Age.” With Stanbic Investment Management Services (SIMS) backing the event as Partner, the room was filled with young professionals and business owners eager for straight talk—not jargon .

The day kicked off with a reality check from Paul Kofi Mante, Managing Director of EDC Investments Limited. He dismantled the common illusion that a high cash flow equals wealth. “Wealth is not built by how much money that passes through your hands,” Mante warned, urging the audience to reconsider their relationship with debt. “We borrow to do things that bring back money, not for consumption” .

That theme of intentionality carried into the Wealth Foundations panel, where Desmond Bredu, Head of Client Coverage at SIMS, offered a refreshingly practical take. He didn’t just talk about compound interest; he talked about the psychology of saving. Bredu suggested that the traditional susu box might actually be holding people back. Instead, he advised keeping savings in a separate bank account—away from the daily temptation of coins and cash—to truly let the money grow .

As the conversation shifted to the Investment Mastery panel, the experts from SIMS tackled the fear and greed that often drive bad financial decisions.

Emily Baaba Dadzie, a Senior Investment Advisor at SIMS, had a blunt message for the audience: do your homework. “Before investing in a company’s stocks, take time to research and understand the business,” she said, warning against jumping on bandwagons .

Her colleague, Wendyliza Kwarteng, reframed the entire purpose of investing for the crowd. It isn’t just about getting rich quick—it’s about survival. “The goal of investing is not just to grow your money, but to protect its purchasing power over time,” Kwarteng explained, a crucial point in a economy where inflation can quietly erode savings .

The final panel brought the conversation into the present moment: Digital Money. While fintech promises speed, Clinton Mbah of Accrue pointed out that cross-border payments still need to become simpler and more affordable for the average user . Meanwhile, Ralph Gerbs of CediRates offered a sobering counterpoint to the crypto hype, urging the audience to avoid fear-driven decisions and to give investments time to mature .

For the hundreds who attended, the first Cedi Sense Conference wasn’t just a Saturday well spent—it was a financial reset. Between SIMS’ institutional wisdom and the raw energy of digital creators like Priscilla Atta-Peters (who reminded the room that “Saving is a stepping stone into investment”), the message was clear: building wealth in Ghana today requires more than just a salary. It requires discipline, research, and the courage to separate your business money from your personal chop money .

As the curtains closed at ESP Hotel, attendees left with more than just branded notebooks—they left with a plan to ensure the money passing through their hands actually stays there.

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