A day's exhibition of British goods held
Accra (Greater Accra) 09 March 2002 - Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, Minister of Trade and Industry has called on African countries to do all in their power to increase the volume of intra-African trade.
Launching Ghana's participation in the Eighth All African Trade Fair in Accra, Dr Apraku said the current level of intra-African trade of about two per cent, compared to over 63 per cent with the European Union, called for a change of attitude towards economic integration on the continent. The fair is scheduled for Cairo, Egypt, from April 22 to 30.
The Minister said the finest step countries should take to enhance trade was for them to remove all trade barriers by adhering to the various protocols of economic blocs, such as the Economic Community of West Africa States and the Africa Union to produce results.
Dr Apraku said integration had become the common call for countries to consider in the face of the challenges posed by globalisation. The All African Trade Fair is an appropriate forum for African countries to start making amends, he said, and expressed the hope that the fair would not only serve to exhibit goods but also be a forum to exchange views.
Mr Kwasi Abeasi, Chief Executive of Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, said the current level of trade among countries required special efforts to improve the situation.
He said the continent's growth rate of 3.5 per cent was below levels that would enable it to tackle poverty. Mr Abeasi, therefore, called for concerted efforts to reverse the trend and to enable the continent take advantage of globalisation.
GRi../
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Takoradi (Western Region) 09 March 2002 - A day's exhibition of British Products ended in Takoradi on Thursday with a call on British investors to take advantage of the favourable economic and investment climate in the country to do more business in
Ghana.
The Head of the Commercial Section of the British High Commission, Mr. Kevin Lynch, who made the call, said the British government had embarked on a programme to introduce more British products and investment into Ghana through the " Trade Partners UK agency".
He said under this programme, the British High Commission would ensure that their businessmen and their Ghanaian counterparts enjoyed mutual benefits from their transactions.
He noted that doing business with overseas partners meant creating more wealth and jobs and the establishment of stronger and more competitive firms, which could keep abreast with the latest technology and innovation.
Mr. Lynch said the British products shown at the exhibition, dubbed, "The Millennium Products Road Show", were innovative and problem solving to meet the challenges of life in the new millennium.
He said one of such products was a radio set, which is operated by being manually winded instead of using electricity or battery. Britain had 131 companies currently operating in Ghana with investment worth about 500 million pounds.
GRi../
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