‎SYPALA: Public policy has consequences, you can’t be passive about it – Senyo K. Hosi

By: Godbless Asaana
‎Finance and economic policy analyst, entrepreneur, and public policy advocate Senyo K. Hosi has called for greater attention to how public policy affects economic productivity, job creation, and the future of Africa’s growing youth population.
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‎He spoke at the Students and Young Professionals African Liberty Academy (SYPALA) 2026 on August 27, where he led a discussion on “Beyond Politics: How Businesses and Public Policy Can Drive Africa’s Transformation.”
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‎SYPALA, which stands for the Students and Young Professionals African Liberty Academy, is an annual educational program run by the IMANI Center for Policy and Education.
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‎Hosi, referencing political scientist Thomas Dye’s definition of public policy, said government decisions as well as its failure to act could shape economic and social outcomes.
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‎“What your governors do and do not do- and that’s Professor Thomas Dye; I love his definition of public policy. What governors choose to do, or not to do, that’s public policy. You can’t be passive about it.”
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‎“Education disconnected from industry leaves young people graduating into frustration. All this operates within a public policy sphere.”
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‎Hosi called for a balance between government and the private sector, warning that excessive government dominance could create bureaucracy, patronage and inefficiency, while excessive business influence over policy could result in capture, monopoly and inequality.
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‎“If the government dominates enterprise, it risks bureaucracy, patronage, and inefficiency,” he said.
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‎“And that’s what we experience. If business dominates policy, we also risk capture, monopoly, and inequality.”
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‎He said Africa needed capable states and competitive markets to work together, with the government providing clear rules and public goods, businesses creating value and jobs, and citizens holding both sides accountable.
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‎“Africa absolutely needs capable states and competitive markets working together. Governments setting clear rules and investing in public goods, businesses creating value and jobs, and citizens holding both accountable.”
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‎He also stressed the importance of productive infrastructure, including roads, ports, railways, electricity, broadband, water systems and logistics, describing them as platforms for economic competitiveness.
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‎“Infrastructure must therefore be planned around productivity, value chain, jobs, and market.”
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‎He warned that high energy costs and inefficient infrastructure could make businesses uncompetitive even when basic services were available.
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‎He urged policymakers to recognise that the decisions they make or fail to make have direct consequences for businesses, workers and the millions of young people seeking productive opportunities across the continent.