Western Regional Minister, Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah has made a clarion call on all various investors across the world to come and invest in the Region for its immense growth.
He indicated that the Region continues to work hard to safeguard entrepreneurs and businesses through the Government’s policies and initiatives.
Mr Darko-Mensah who was speaking at a business forum organised by the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) said over the years, the influx of investment in the Region has been overwhelming and densely concentrated.
The Regional Sensitization and Business Forum was on the theme, “Grow in Ghana, Grow with Ghana” and aimed at encouraging local participation and education in order to attract appropriate investments.
He said the Region has proven to be a viable investment hub of the country, which boasts of a conducive business environment and required human capital.
According to him, as the natural resource-based and the economic backbone of the country, the Region is well noted to produce Cocoa, Rubber, Oil palm, Coconut, rocks for quarry, tourist attractions as well as the Gold, Oil and Gas business.
He divulged that it has established value chain platforms in all the 14 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) and closed networks with the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and private stakeholders thereby, creating a common platform to enhance market linkages and improve trade relationships among businesses in the Region.
“To be able to grow as a Region and country, it is always in the right direction to encourage national pride and patronage towards investment by locals. It is also empirical to coordinate and work with the various agencies to promote local businesses and attract huge investors”, he stressed.
He said the theme for the forum was an indication that this year’s forum will promote local indigenous businesses, targeted investments and the promotion of direct partnerships between local investors and foreign investors among others.
He noted that the GIPC manages a database which contains information on lands that were available for lease and makes the information available to investors upon request and said the Land Banks could be used to assist localities in assembling properties for development projects and thereby utilized for community development.
Mr Darko-Mensah also noted that the GIPC reckons the need for more to be done at the local level in the bid to attract opportunities to encourage the MMDAs to develop their Regional/District/City Investor Profiles/Guides.
GIPC by its mandate is responsible for encouraging and promoting investments in Ghana, providing for the creation of an attractive incentive framework and a transparent, predictable, and facilitating environment for investments in Ghana as enshrined in the GIPC Act 2013 (Act 865).
