Take Advantage Of Trade Fairs

President John Agyekum Kufuor has called on Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) to take advantage of the 11th Ghana International Trade Fair to form linkages that would expand their businesses.

Ghanaian businesses, especially the SMEs, should use this platform to expand opportunities beyond the shores of this country,” he urged.

He gave the challenge in a speech read on his behalf by the Minister of Trade, Industry, Private Sector Development and the President's Special Initiatives, at La in Accra yesterday at the opening of the 11th Ghana International Trade Fair.

President Kufuor also noted that the fair presented an opportunity for Ghanaian companies to structure their businesses in order to compete favourably on the international market.

He said the government was committed to improving the infrastructural base of the country under its Comprehensive Infrastructure Improvement Programme, adding that all the various sectors of the economy had seen some appreciable improvement over the past six years.

President Kufuor said the government would continue to pursue its objectives of making the Ghana International Trade Fair Centre a one-stop shop for fairs and international events within the sub-region.

He said the government had created the enabling environment that would propel the country into growth and mentioned the drop in the inflation rate from 45 per cent to 10.9 per cent from 2000 to 2001, as well as the fall in interest rates, which presently was around 20 per cent, as some of the achievements of the government.

The biennial international fair has attracted a total of 1,300 exhibitors, comprising 950 local and 350 foreign exhibitors.

The 11-day fair, dubbed the “Jubilee Fair”, is on the theme: “ Championing Africa's Excellence”, will showcase a variety of products and services and would also feature entertainment activities throughout the period of the fair.

The Board Chairman of the Ghana Trade Fair Company, Mr Eddie Mbiah Amoako, said the board was in negotiations with interested parties to further develop the fair grounds into a modern one.

The Chief Executive Officer of the GTFC, Ms Esther Ofori, said it was the vision of the management to develop the site to meet international standards.

She said management had put in place enough strategies and security to ensure that exhibitors got value for their money.

Story by Boahene Asamoah