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VR Trade, Investment Cultural fair launched

The government as part of its industrial transformation programme is embarking on an initiative to discover potential lands for investors to set up factories under a new flagship “One Region, One Industrial Pack.”

The Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Carlos Ahenkora who disclosed this yesterday, said some investors shy away from investing in the country due to the land tenure system and litigations over lands.

He was speaking in Accra at the national press launch of the Volta Trade Investment and Cultural Fair (VTICF), 2019, under the theme, “Sustainable investment and industrial growth through trade promotion.”

According to Mr Ahenkora, getting more investors to set up industries in the country would drive the economy that is why the government took the decision to embark on the new initiative to attract more investors in the country.

Mr Ahenkora indicated that, government would consult regional ministers to lead them to eminent chiefs to secure lands to save investors the stress of securing lands for their operations.

He stated that the Volta Region was hardly identified as a potential investment destination to attract the necessary investment to enable people secure jobs to make their economic lives easier.

Mr Ahenkora mentioned that only two out of the 57 companies inaugurated under the One District One Factory programme were from the Volta Region saying “one is in Hohoe as wood processors and another in Ho that turns cassava into ethanol.”

“If we are able to portray the Volta Region as an investment destination, people coming in the country would identify with you and also bring investments to your backyard,” He added.

Mr Ahenkora revealed that, his outfit was profiling the whole country to identify the natural resource endowment places to enable investors to easily identify where raw material resources were located, adding that “Volta Region will see tremendous change very soon in regards to location of industry.

He noted that, the country needed the Nigerian market to support the industrial transformation initiated by government, otherwise manufactured products could not be consumed by the people within the confines of the country alone.

Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, Volta Regional Minister said this year’s event would witness over 200 exhibitors from across the Volta Region and beyond, including countries like Togo, India and Nigeria booking stands to showcase their products.

“We are expecting over 2,000 visitors comprising investors, the business community, diplomats, contractors, professionals in the building industry, students, young entrepreneurs and manufacturers among others,” he noted.

In addition, Dr Letsa entreated all local exhibitors participating in the fair to pay a little more attention to packaging and modelling for the sale of made-in-Ghana goods.

He stated that, there would be conferences and incubator platforms that would connect small scale businesses to seasoned Chief Executive Officers who would help the companies to properly plan and market their products and services to the global market.

This year’s fair is slated for November 25 to December 8, 2019 to promote agriculture, food production, agro-based industries and agro-businesses and tourism in the regions.

It will feature activities such as Business to Business sessions, Seminars and Presentation, Business Match Making, Product Launching and Company, Districts and Municipal Days.

BY ABEDUWAA LUCY APPIAH

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