Jesse Jackson announces five major US investments in Ghana

Accra (Greater Accra) 9 Feb. 2000

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, U.S. Ambassador to Africa, on Tuesday announced plans by the African- American community to make five major investments in the areas of culture, health, early child education, women entrepreneurship and information technology.

He was speaking at a press conference in Accra as part of a three-day U.S. private sector trade and investment mission to Ghana code-named "Rain/Push Coalition Trade and Investment Mission to Africa".

The team, which arrived in Ghana last Sunday, comprised representatives of 20 private U.S. companies, who are visiting Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa, to seek investment opportunities and establish joint ventures mainly in information technology infrastructure.

Rev Jackson said: "I have asked President Rawlings to constitute an international commission to draw up an extended budget towards the expansion of the Dubois Centre with a view to improving upon the works of W. E. B. Dubois".

He said the African-American Community is ready and interested in providing Internet facilities and books for the centre, adding that "the move is to ensure that the Encyclopaedia Africana, initiated by Dubois, is completed".

Rev Jackson said he and his wife are also mobilising 60,000 dollars to construct two day care centres in two rural communities and to provide interest-free credit to over 11,000 women entrepreneurs within the year.

"We are also working in close contact with the First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings and the Ministry of Health to provide support for the HIV/AIDS Eradication Programme in Ghana".

This, he said, was important because "AIDS poses a threat to life expectancy and human resource in sub-Saharan Africa, accounting for about 85 per cent of deaths caused by AIDS world-wide.

He said U.S. investment into the AIDS Eradication Programme would focus on sex education and medical care in order to prevent further increase in AIDS cases in sub-Saharan Africa.

Rev Jackson noted that the main focus of the trade mission, however, is to promote investment in Information Technology infrastructure, saying "we have the capacity, capital, skills and the will to bridge the gap between Africa and the developed world in this area.

"There is no Information Technology and telecommunication need in Ghana that we can not meet".

He noted telecommunication and transportation are very necessary for the growth of every nation's economy, adding, however, that with the introduction of the Internet and other wireless, electronic and data communication, transportation is not much of a requirement to link people.

Rev Jackson lauded Ghana's privatisation and trade liberalisation drive and assured that African Americans would take advantage of it and support it for the sustainable development of the Ghanaian economy.

Mr John Mahama, Minister of Communication, expressed satisfaction with the mission, saying, "both government and private sector officials have had fruitful, frank and open deliberations with members of the team".

He said the deliberations have generated a lot of interest, which are poised to lead to several joint U.S. and Ghanaian ventures in the specific areas of the economy.

Mr Mahama said the government is determined to reap the full benefits of the mission, adding, "we would follow up on all the issues discussed during our deliberations to ensure that they reach their logical conclusion".

The team leaves Ghana tomorrow for Nigeria and South Africa.

GRi../