Ghana has condusive business atmosphere

Story: Matilda Attram
A DEPUTY Minister of Trade, Industry, PSD and PSIs, Mr Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, says there is a conducive business environment for investors in Ghana.
He said the country could boast “democratic government, political and economic stability, available and trainable manpower, competitive wages in the sub-region, government assistance in the form of investment incentives and easy transfer of foreign exchange to and from the country”.
Opening the Third Thailand Exhibition in Accra on Wednesday, Mr Agyeman-Manu said the ministry had also outlined a programme, dubbed “New Industrial Reform and Accelerated Growth Programme”, to rejuvenate the economy.
He said the programme was driven by an export-oriented industrialisation process, which focused on agro-processing and other manufacturing activities.
According to him, it was also centred on mass mobilisation of the country’s rural population and other vulnerable groups, particularly women.
Mr Agyeman-Manu said a second aspect of the programme was also on domestic industrialisation and targeted the production of a substantial amount of non-petroleum government imports, as well as a wide range of processed foods and agricultural products that were imported by private individuals and companies.
He said the government had come up with strategic interventions to boost Ghanaian exports, which would enable them to become more competitive on the international market.
He said he expected the exhibition to offer Ghanaian companies the opportunity to address their problems relating to market information, and to source finances from Thailand financial institutions in business.
“This exhibition is exceptional because the centre has for the first time accepted Ghanaian companies to exhibit their products that could lead to joint ventures to market products. This is an excellent opportunity to promote business activities,” he said.
The Director of Thai Trade Centre Ghana, Mr Pithya Boonying, said the event was aimed at promoting and facilitating trade investment between Ghana and Thailand.
He said the Ministry of Commerce of Thailand considered Ghana’s economy as a potential for business partnership, due to its favourable political stability and investment climate in West Africa.
He stated that trade between two countries should not only take one direction, since it was a two-way affair and involved two parties.
“This exhibition is not by any means encouraging imports of Thailand products to the Ghanaian market only but also to encourage exporting Ghanaian products to the Thailand market,” he stated.
Mr Boonying, therefore, encouraged Ghanaians to explore business collaboration with Thailand and to search for opportunities to export Ghanaian products to Thailand.
Some items displayed at the exhibition were construction and building materials, auto parts and accessories, houseware products, food items and cosmetics.