GRi Business 08-03-99

The second ECOWAS Fair in Accra has been more successful than the first one held in Dakar, Senegal, in 1995, in terms of participation.

This year's fair recorded 700 exhibitors as against 444 in 1995. About 525 of the exhibitors were from Ghana, with more than half of the rest coming from the ECOWAS sub-region.

Other exhibitors were from the United States of America, China, Turkey and Iran. Some observers came from Germany. Thirteen countries out of the 16 member-states of the ECOWAS attended. Mauritania, Cape Verde and Guinea Bissau did not show up although they had indicated to participate. Preliminary assessment by the Ghana News Agency showed there was a big turn-up of visitors at the weekend.

Items exhibited at the fair included textiles, light industrial equipment, plastic products, food and beverages.

Others were plant and herbal medicines, furniture, alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks.

Most of the participants on Sunday described the fair as successful, but strongly criticised the preparatory and organisational aspects.

Mrs Ellen Essilfie, Head of Organisational Services Department of the Volta River Authority (VRA), which articipated, said some international institutions have expressed interest in the company.

They include those from Israel, Cote d'Ivoire and Mali.

Mr George Yahya, Managing Director of Evi France Ghana Limited, said the fair created the forum to make the right contacts for the expansion of his businesses. He said hundreds of contacts have been made and expressed the hope that they would materialise for the benefit of all sides.

Exhibitors from the National Board and Small Scale Industries (NBSSI), said they got a lot of contacts and exposures.

Mr Steven Atuliba, Public Relations Officer of NBSSI said basket weavers and batik dealers of the Board had made some international contacts. Officials of the Ghana Cocoa Board, however, criticised the fair for poor planning. and organisation The fair was turned into an entertainment carnival, instead of business activities, they said.

They were also not happy about the frequent power outages during the fair and called on the management of the Ghana Trade Fair Company to procure a stand by generator for future fairs.

Mr Vincent Uwegba, an exhibitor of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission described the fair as outstanding".

Accra (Greater Accra) 8 March. 

The second ECOWAS Trade Fair ended in Accra, On Sunday.

The fair, which opened with 650 exhibitors on February 26, 1999 increased to 700 as at Sunday.

This was more that the 500 exhibitors estimated by the organisers.

The first ECOWAS Trade Fair held in Dakar, Senegal in 1995 attracted 444 exhibitors.

About 8,000 people attended the fair with about a thousand trade delegation from the United States and other countries participating.

The fair unearthed the potentials and talents of West African entrepreneurs and symbolised the spirit of regionalism, integration and Cupertino. It was the focal point of brisk business activities and created the platform for industrialists, investors, manufacturers and commercial operators in the ECOWAS Sub-Region and for the international community to transact business, exchange ideas and learn new production and marketing techniques and strategies.

It was described as successful and an improvement on the first fair in Dakar . Mr Kwame Peprah, Minister of Finance performed the closing ceremony.

Mr H. B. Hazel, Chairman, Regional Organising Committee of the fair said seminars, conferences, buyers and sellers meetings and fashion show organised as part of the fair activities added new dimensions and colour to it.

Mr Frank Ofei, Acting Deputy Executive Secretary of ECOWAS, announced that the next ECOWAS fair will take place in Lome, Togo.

Mr Meyiosso Kwame, Togolese Minister of Trade and Industry, expressed the readiness of the Togolese Government to host the next fair and commended the Government of Ghana and the ECOWAS Secretariat for the successful fair.

He announced that a national exhibition will take place in Lome between November and December this year.

Accra (Greater Accra) 8 March  

The National Investment Bank (NIB) has announced plans to introduce a new scheme to assist parents to pay the admission and other fees of their wards entering Senior Secondary School and tertiary institutions.

The scheme to be known as School Fees Plus will run side by side with the Bank's School Fees Scheme introduced recently.

Mr Andrews Awuni, Public Relations Officer of the NIB told newsmen in Accra at the weekend that the schemes are in line with the bank's social responsibility.

He said the bank is working out modalities to introduce a Child Protection Fund to ensure that children whose parents participate in the package continue to enjoy the facility even after the death of their parents.

He said the bank has established a fund to sponsor selected schools and to provide scholarship to deserving children.

Mr Wallace Ollennu, Marketing Officer of the bank said the NIB has contributed immensely to the development of the country and would continue to do so .

He said the bank is exploring other possibilities to improve upon its social packages and to expand them to cover more people.

Ghana is to receive from Germany a total of 15 million Deutsche Marks non-repayable grants under three agreements signed in Accra on Monday.

Mr Kwame Peprah, Minister of Finance, signed for Ghana while Dr Winfried Polte, Senior Vice-President of the German Department of Development Loan Co-operation (KFW), signed on behalf of his country.

Ghana has so far received assistance totaling 1.1 billion Deutsche Marks, the equivalent of 600 million dollars, from Germany within the framework of a financial co-operation programme.

The first grant of 10 million DM is meant for water supplies to poor areas in the Volta and Eastern Regions while the second grant of three million DM is for basic education under which Teacher Training Colleges at Bimbila, Pusiga and Tamale would be rehabilitated.

The third grant for two million DM is for the "Study and Expert Fund Four" which is meant to cater for costs in the preparation of various programmes for co-operation matters.

In a brief remark, Mr Peprah thanked the German government for its financial assistance which had helped improve the economic status of Ghanaians. Mr Peprah said Ghana has a high profile for assisting investors and urged German companies to take advantage of the enabling environment to do business in the country.

Mr Christian Nakonz, German Ambassador in Ghana and Dr Polte said the signing of the agreements underline the successful co-operation between the two countries.

The grants marked the implementation of pledges made by the German government during bilateral meetings in 1997, Mr Nakonz said.

The next bilateral meeting for 1999-2000 will take place in May 1999 in Accra.

Dr Polte said the German-Africa Association would organise a two-day seminar in Hamburg, Germany, from April 28 with the objective of getting German investors interested in Ghana.

Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Senegal and Nigeria are expected to attend the seminar where participants will discuss issues on tourism, transport and industry.

Mr Kwame Peprah, Minister of Finance, on Sunday called on ECOWAS member countries to implement ECOWAS protocols and resolutions without further hesitation.

He said the initiative of ECOWAS promises to be a powerful tool for social-economic development of the sub-region.

Mr Peprah was speaking at the closing ceremony of the second ECOWAS Trade in Accra.

He impressed on individual governments of the community to initiate measures and give appropriate official backing to translate ECOWAS decisions.

Mr Peprah said unless all member states of ECOWAS cooperate, all efforts at integration, cooperation, trade and development will be difficult to achieve.

The future development of West Africa will depend largely on small scale businesses, he said and expressed satisfaction about the large turn out at the fair by small scale enterprises.

Mr Peprah said the usefulness of the fair "lies in executing all contracts and business transactions at the fair".

Business executives and enterprises were called upon to capitalise on their achievements at the fair to expand their businesses in the West African market.

Mr Peprah reiterated the need for the removal of tariffs and trade barriers and called for support towards encouraging the objectives of the fair.

Mr Lasana Kouyate, Executive Secretary of ECOWAS, said actvities at the conference reflected on the aspirations and potentials of ECOWAS.

He suggested that the fair should be held every two years instead of every four years.

Mr Kouyate expressed gratitude to the European Union and the Ghana Government for supporting the fair, adding a friendly atmosphere had characterised the fair.

Accra (Greater Accra) 8 March

The General Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU) on Monday criticised the government for working towards the merger of the extension staff of Cocoa Services Division (CSD) of Ghana Cocoa Board and Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) without involving it in the negotiations.

Mr Samuel Kangah, General Secretary of GAWU, told a press conference in Accra that the union is "weary and disturbed" about the rush with which the Government is going through the unification process without subjecting it to "transparent discussion."

The Union was of the view that the overall value of the unification to the cocoa industry, agriculture in general and the economy of Ghana as a whole was not fully considered before arriving at the decision.

"GAWU is the least impressed about the manner in which the unification has been shrouded in secrecy. How come a major issue that touches the very lifeblood of workers and the national economy is not subjected to public discussion?"

Mr Kangah said the process will undermine the rights of working people who have negotiated conditions of employment and work in accordance with international labour standards, the constitution and laws of the nation.

Recalling the creation of CSD out of the Department of Agriculture, the general secretary said this was to ensure that the Department of Agriculture concentrated on other crops to make agricultural diversification a reality. It was also to foster co-ordination and planning in the cocoa industry.

Mr Kangah said CSD has served as a demonstration ground of improved cocoa growing and pursued the multiplication of improved planting material.

It has provided outstations for Cocoa Research Institute to carry out trials and improved growing methods, provided centres for the training of farmers and successfully controlled the dreaded swollen shoot virus and black pod diseases.

The GAWU General Secretary said the internationally acclaimed "golden high quality" of Ghana's Cocoa is ample evidence of the creditable discharge of the functions and duties by CSD.

The union believes that the unification process could undermine the quality and quantity of Ghana's Cocoa production, reduce extension service delivery to cocoa farmers, worsen the extension situation of small farmers who do not produce cocoa and undermine agricultural diversification efforts.

"GAWU is therefore calling on government so subject the unification process to discussion among all stakeholders."

The Union would resort to court action to compel government to treat workers fairly.

"We are in a constitutional era where issues are to be legally and democratically thrashed out among ontending parties.", he said

The following are the average inter bank exchange rates of the cedi to the dollar and other derived rates for other currencies as against the major foreign currencies for today Monday March eight as announced by the Ghana Association of bankers

Currency Buying Selling

US Dollar 2,362.45 2,393.82

Pound Sterling 3,788.19 3,839.69

French Franc 391.05 396.06

Swiss Franc 1,611.04 1,631.34

Deutsche Mark 1,311.25 1,328.61

Canadian Dollar 1,556.11 1,575.71

Japanese Yen 19.43 19.68

Dutch Guilder 1,163.98 1,178.94

S/African Rand 382.12 385.94

Euro 2,565.65 2,597.72

CFA Franc 3.91 3.96

Naira 27.92 28.29