The Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) says it is upbeat about making Ghana the preferred investment destination and facilitating the desired linkages between the Ghanaian private sector and that of South Africa (SA).
Chief Executive of the Centre, Mr Yoofi Grant, told the media at a business-to-business seminar held in Accra that his outfit was poised to promote the country’s competitive advantage and woo investors into the productive sectors of the Ghanaian economy.
The seminar was attended by the Premier of the Gauteng Province in that country, Mr David Makhura, who led a delegation of senior government officials and captains of industry to Ghana.
Ghana, he indicated, would soon be a world-class business investment destination and “we want to encourage trade by assisting foreign companies to identify new markets for the establishment of their businesses here”.
Areas of interest for the both countries include manufacturing, energy, agriculture, agro-processing, rail and ports infrastructure and tourism among others.
South African High Commissioner to Ghana, Madam Lulama Xingwana, said the purpose of the mission to Ghana was to enhance “the already existing bilateral relations between South Africa and Ghana and specifically the Gauteng Province and Greater Accra”.
The visit was also meant to promote intra-Africa trade and to explore trade and investment opportunities by engaging with relevant stakeholders at fora such as the business seminar.
The mission of the investors follows similar engagements between the Gauteng Growth and Development Agency (GGDA) and the GIPC.
The GGDA in February this year led a business delegation to Ghana during which mission the Agency and the GIPC signed a memorandum of understanding.
Madam Xingwana noted that the warm and strong bind between the two countries was a demonstration of “our evolving economic partnership”.
The South African Envoy encouraged South African businesses to seize upon opportunities that Ghana presents to South Africa for trade and investment.
According to her, “the net effect of any such trade and investment is economic development and poverty alleviation that fundamentally contribute towards realizing intra-Africa trade”.
She called on businesses to see the engagements as building blocks towards stronger partnerships, pointing out “there will be challenges as we go the along; the future of business and economic development in Africa lies in closer cooperation between our countries within the continent; let’s look within the resources we have as partner African countries because we are cut from the same cloth”.
The Finder