Ghana Participates In 5th Dubai Investment Forum

The 5th Dubai Annual Investment meeting is underway in Dubai under the patronage of His Highness, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al- Maktoum, the United Arab Emirates [UAE] Vice President and Prime Minister and ruler of Dubai.

The three days gathering brought together global academics, experts and innovative practitioners to discuss and debate how essential is innovative activity for growth and development and how FDI can contribute to sustainable economic growth through transfer of technology and the supportive investment policies that are needed to attract and retain investment of the right kind as well as the internationalization of research and development activities by transnational corporations.

The Forum been held under the theme '' Sustainable Development through FDI Induced Innovation and Technology Transfer" has amongst its invited speakers Ghana's sector Minister for Trades and Industry, Hon. Ekow Spio-Garbrah.

Ghana is being represented at the forum by the Ministry of Trades and Industry, Ghana Free Zones Board [GFZB] , the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, the Ghana Tourist Development Company and the Accra Metropolitan Authority[AMA].

Mr. Spio-Garbrah, who led the Ghanaian delegation in his contribution during a round table discussion, which was mainly based on foreign direct investment and opportunities in Ghana , said the country's stable political climate makes it the right place for investors to venture into and earn a lot of gains.

There are a lot of direct investment opportunities in Ghana and as such he mentioned the extractive and agro processing sectors as some of the areas that potential investors must take advantage of in Ghana.

The NDC government according to the Trade and Industry Minister is doing a lot to ensure a better and favourable environment for investors to invest and accrue great profits for their investments.

Responding to a question on how to direct investment into the agric sector to ensure food security and create prosperity and whether Ghana has enough lands for investors to invest in the nation's agric sector, Mr, Spio-Garbrah replied in the affirmative and challenged every investor to take advantage of Ghana's investment enclaves.

He said '' there are a lot of unlimited investment opportunities in Ghana's agro-sector and that all kinds of food crops can be grown in Ghana''.

He mentioned food crops such as vegetables, pawpaw, cocoanut, tree crops as well as some agro-industrial items such as palm oil as some of the areas investors can put their monies in.

Ghana he maintained is blessed with plentiful agricultural lands and that Asian investors can venture into the sugar-cane processing sector for the production of sugar, molasses as well as refining into other semi-industrial products in Ghana .

Investing in Ghana comes with unlimited incentives amongst which he mentioned tax holidays, free capital repatriations' as well as the choice of the investor to locate part of his value added processes in Ghana's free zones enclaves.

Mr. Ekow Spio-Garbrah indicated that there are more than 250 locations in Ghana where an investor can change his currency from the cedi into a several foreign currencies without any delay and impediments.

The Minister stated that Ghana's population, demography as well as its stable political environment makes it a viable investment enclave especially in the agricultural sector.

Ghana also sought to promote investment and tourism and as such Mr. Kwadwo Twum Boafo, the Ghana Free Zones Board[GFZB] Executive Secretary and Mr. Samuel Atta Mills of the Ghana Tourist Development Company held a extensive discussion on the matter.

As part of the activities, the Ghana Free Zones Board put up a stand at the forum which attracted a lot of people especially investors to enquire about opportunities and investment potentials in Ghana .

The Forum which started on Monday 30TH March 2015 ends today the 1st of April 2015. Participants from Morocco, Nicaragua, and Portugal amongst others participated in the forum.