Golden Jubilee Bond Launched In London

Ghana's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Mr Annan Cato, has launched the first-ever Golden Jubilee Savings Bond in London and indicated that the government will seek to provide an economic system that would ensure the equitable participation of all. According to Mr Cato, that was to enable Ghanaians to contribute meaningfully to the socio-economic development of the country.
He acknowledged that Ghana's remarkable economic growth had been effectively supported by its citizens outside the country and the government, therefore, was determined to include them in all the economic policies of the country.
The launch formed part of a road show by the Ghana Government to whip up interest among Ghanaians in the Diaspora in investing back home by partaking in the bond offer.
The event was organised by Strategic African Securities (SAS), leading managers of the bond."The bond has been designed to achieve other important objectives, such as broadening the participation of Ghanaians in the formal financial system and promoting long-term savings and investment culture in Ghana," he explained.
Ghanaians living outside the country have the opportunity to access all the advantages and fully patronise the bond from wherever they reside in the world.
Officials from the Ministry of Finance have already undertaken trips to Germany and The Netherlands to sensitise Ghanaians to the new offer. Other countries on the schedule are the United States, Canada and Australia.
"We have to own our country now and in the future," the High Commissioner declared, adding that the country's economy must be in the hands of its citizens.
He described the bond, which is available to all Ghanaians living anywhere in the world, as an opportunity to plough back their earnings abroad into the ever-growing economy of the country.
Mr Annan dispelled fears that investment in bonds in Ghana was not safe and said the Ghana government had never breached any payment contract with either an individual or organisation.
"That is why we have earned so much reputation on the international market scene," he stated.The Senior Corporate Advisor and Research Analyst at SAS, Mr Mawuli Hedo, said interest on the bond would be fixed at the prevailing five-year Government of Ghana rate on the issue date for those who would invest in it.
The Technical Advisor to the Minister of Finance, Dr Sam Mensah, explained that the bond was being issued to encourage long-term savings and investment among Ghanaians, with the Government of Ghana seeking to raise GH¢50 million to embark on infrastructural development in every region of the country.
He announced the government's intention to extend the offer for some months more in the Diaspora to enable Ghanaians outside the country to effectively patronise it.
The Bishop of the Calvary Charismatic Baptist Church in Poplar, London, Bishop Francis Sarpong, who chaired the function, commended the Ghana Government for what he described as "a good offer to Ghanaians living outside the country" and urged all Ghanaians to take advantage of it to invest at home.
Story by Nana Sifa Twum