Invest in Ghana – Tony Blair urges entrepreneurs Tony Blair Gh Former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair Listen to the Article A former British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, has passed a vote of confidence in Ghana and called on global investment players to invest in the country. ADVERTISEMENT :- HTTPS://GAMAMEDICALMISSION.BLOGSPOT.COM He said with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s excellent leadership, the country was showing great determination to succeed and was doing the right things. “I scarcely come across a leader with clarity of vision and determination to succeed and someone so much into the instincts of his people. So thank you for your leadership skills,” he declared. Mr Blair, who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007, made the remarks as a guest speaker at Ghana’s investment promotion dinner held on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland last Wednesday. The former British Premier said he had observed the optimism Ghanaians had about their country and its future. The dinner, which was hosted by Ghana’s delegation to the WEF, led by President Akufo-Addo, was attended by chief executive officers of international businesses, investment and financial firms and global celebrities, including Wesley Snipes. Mr Blair said anytime he interacted with people around the world, there was a sense that Ghana was on the move and people would want to be part of the success story because the country had created an environment full of confidence. Growth He noted that the changes that had taken place in Ghana had produced strong growth, which had made it one of the fastest-growing economies in Africa and the world. He explained that his optimism about Ghana stemmed from the good reason that the country was enjoying stability and endowed with a real sense of opportunity and expressed the hope that if the stability and the current policies continued, the future would be very bright. Ghana Beyond Aid Mr Blair spoke highly about the Ghana Beyond Aid concept, saying it meant that even though the country was happy and proud about its partnership with the rest of the world, it had realised that Ghanaians must be the ones to decide their own future and by their own methods. Year of Return He said the ‘Year of Return’ was an amazing thing which attracted about 750,000 people, including distinguished Ghanaians in the Diaspora who had even come to Davos, and others who had made great contributions to the development of Britain. Youth The former British Premier described young Ghanaians as “immensely great people to be around with”, especially with their resolve and audacity to be part of the advancing technology sector that was thriving in the country. Mr Blair said when he was in office, Ghana was beset with problems, events and crisis, but one thing that was thrilling and exciting was that when you step out of office, you were able to take a detached and objective view of countries. He said with that, one could see such countries from the outside perspective, and that looking at the continent of Africa as a whole, even though the challenges were formidable, “I think there is a real sense that the coming decades will be the decades for Africa”. Market Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ms Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, said the country was the gateway to the West African and the African markets and assured the investors that aside from the protection of their investments, they would also have access to those markets. She said the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) had a population of more than 300 million, with the African Union boasting a market of over 1.2 billion people. br
The summit is expected to showcase UK’s unique offer to Africa and build strong partnerships with the continent.
For Ghana, the summit will provide a platform to secure investment opportunities, more exports, jobs and economic growth that benefit both Ghanaian and British businesses.
Speaking at a press briefing ahead of the summit, the UK High Commissioner to Ghana, Mr Iain Walker, said the summit would seek to drive the agenda between UK and Africa relationship.
“We are looking to transform the way we engage with the continent and we are looking to evolve how we engage with Africa and Ghana,” he said.
Ghana will join other African countries for the first ever UK-Africa Investment Summit which is scheduled for January 20, this year, in London.
The summit is expected to showcase UK’s unique offer to Africa and build strong partnerships with the continent.
Summit will provide a platform to secure investment opportunities, more exports, jobs and economic growth that benefit both Ghanaian and British businesses.
Speaking at a press briefing ahead of the summit, the UK High Commissioner to Ghana, Mr Iain Walker, said the summit would seek to drive the agenda between UK and Africa relationship.
“We are looking to transform the way we engage with the continent and we are looking to evolve how we engage with Africa and Ghana,” he said.
He said the partnership between UK and Ghana had led to prosperity, with jobs being at the core.
“We have real examples of changes and investments that have come on the back of it. An example is the investment in the extension of the airport in Kumasi, the investment in hospitals in Kumasi, investments in infrastructure in water that we are seeing from the private sector and a move to have UK and Ghana working on things like digitisation,” he said.
Patient capital
He said the UK was also committed to developing finance and patient capital that would be of benefit to Ghanaian businesses.
“We are looking on how to work with Ghana in this regard and the summit offers a fantastic platform for that.
“We want to be leading the way in this dialogue and I think we have to change the narrative of what Africa is as a continent, and how we can help tell the story of Ghana in a different way.
“Too often, the stories that come from Africa in the western media focuses on poverty, governance and security. While these things are undoubtedly real challenges, the true story of Ghana is one of aspiration and ambition and we want to make sure the Africa Investment Summit tells that story and to ensure that when people think of where they want to invest in, they will think of Ghana and Africa,” he said.
About summit
The summit, to be hosted by the UK Prime Minister, Mr Boris Johnson, is a major milestone for UK, which will bring African leaders, businesses, entrepreneurs, and international finance institutions to showcase new partnerships that create jobs and boost mutual prosperity.
The summit is expected to strengthen the UK-Africa partnership that is, building a secure and prosperous future for all citizens.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who is expected to attend the summit, will later hold talks with the Prime Minister of UK and other UK government cabinet ministers including the Foreign Secretary and the Development Secretary.a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4hZrKsYeT-hvP88UImrWUlJ_GYBP9MXfdTG9A5zfyLr5v2In0EGbFD7VBYTsK0AC6LNnmPoo3EBVHId7qbsTV2OqF0DWDEbZJhWVZgFn74-K5liDhTAU3_S93fRe8txI3VWxa1d-le90/s1600/received_788515811589762.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
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Economics Fair Launch
The launch took place in Accra on Thursday
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The 2019 Volta Trade, Investment and Cultural Fair aimed at opening the region up for investment is scheduled to take place from November 28 through to December 8, in Ho.
The Fair, which is expected to attract 2,000 visitors and about 200 local and foreign exhibitors, will be on the theme, “Sustainable Investment and Industrial Growth through Trade Promotion.”
It is also to promote agriculture, food production, agro-based industries, and tourism as well as unearth suitable areas and potentials for local to foreign investment.
Speaking at the national launch in Accra on Thursday, Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, Volta Regional Minister, said investing in industrialization was the surest way to grow the private sector and open up the region for rapid development and charged the natives to get involved.
The initiative, which will under the patronage of the Volta Regional Coordinating Council, will feature business-to-business meetings, technical sessions and match-makings.
Dr. Letsa said it would help foster partnership and synergy between Volta Region and grow the local economies of the Region as well as reduce poverty.
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He asked local exhibitors to pay attention to packaging and promote made in Ghana products, assuring that incubator platforms would be made available to assist small and medium scale businesses to meet international standards.
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Mr Carlos Kingsley Ahenkorah, the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry said due to the industrial potential of the region, the government had prioritised establishing of a single-product industrial enclaves and common-nation industrial parks to offer flexibility to investors.
He noted that government was establishing industrial parks in each of the 16 regions of Ghana, as part of its industralisation agenda and also help save investors from the problems associated with land acquisition, business permits and licences when setting up in the country.
Mr Ahenkorah said of the 57 commissioned factories under the one-district-one-factory project, two had been cited in Ho and Hohoe in the Volta Region.
He said there were other five that were in the process of being processed to be commissioned soon.
The Minister said, the government in its bid to attract investment had profiled all regions and their resource to pitch it to investors.
Practical innovations targeted to address technical and vocational needs of Ghana and beyond will soon be the hall mark of the Ho Technical University (HTU), the new Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ben Quarshie Honyenugah, has indicated.
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The former Pro Vice-Chancellor of the HTU, whose investiture as the first vice-chancellor of the university was held last week, said since research was the backbone of higher institutions, he would promote quality research and practical innovations to acceptable levels of international demands.
He said his vision was in line with a five-year strategic plan rolled out in 2017 to transform the Ho Technical University into a reputable technical institution that would be run as an ‘entrepreneurial university’ that would provide services both locally and internationally to generate income for it.
“Undoubtedly, we are in a global world where internationalisation of universities is key. Hence, I will expand the existing international collaborations and seek others with more reputable institutions globally in mounting varied, recognised and relevant programmes,” he said.
He pledged to use his national and international networks to assist in programme development and accreditation to make the HTU a global player.
Prof. Honyenugah appealed to staff and faculty to stand with him in unity and shun indiscipline and negative activities that would draw them back on their goals.
“The future of the university looks bright. However, its successes and achievements can be attained and sustained if we unite, support one another and put our shoulders to the wheel to perform the required actions stipulated in the strategic plan,” he stated.
Focus on CBT
The Minister of State in charge of Tertiary Education, Prof. Kwesi Yankah, said Ghana had reached a stage where innovation and creativity were critical in propelling its industrialisation agenda for accelerated economic transformation.
Congratulating the new vice chancellor, Prof. Yankah tasked the university to remain focused on its application of the Competency-Based Training (CBT) to all teaching staff.
He disclosed that the government, through the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET), was in the process of providing laboratory equipment to selected technical/vocational institutions across the country, adding that the HTU was among the three selected institutions for the project.
He charged management to ensure that it also developed a code of conduct for staff and students as well as a policy on sexual harassment to guide the interaction between faculty and students.
Vice-Chancellor
Prof. Honyenugah goes into history as the first Vice-Chancellor of the HTU since its conversion from a polytechnic to the status of a university.
He has a rich experience in teaching for two decades at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
He obtained his PhD in Management from the Open University of The Netherlands, Heerlen (July 2015) and Master of Philosophy degree from Maastricht School of Management in The Netherlands (June 2012).
The processes for his appointment were handled by a team of acclaimed scholars, administrators and university managers who had rich knowledge and experience in public service both nationally and internationally.
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The Chairman of the Council of the HTU, Prof. Emmanuel Flolu, described the appointment of Prof. Honyenugah as historic and a blessing to the university, since “it is the first time in the life of the institution since it attained a tertiary status that a faculty member has risen to the professorial rank and also as the academic and administrative head.”
Akwatia group applauds government takeover of GCDGL , The President during a tour of the Great Consolidated Diamonds Ghana Limited
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The Akwatia Development Association (ADA) has lauded the government for taking over the management of the Great Consolidated Diamonds Ghana Limited (GCDGL) after abrogating the agreement with the subsidiary of the JOSPONG Group of Companies.
The group said when the GCDGL assumed the management of the Ghana Consolidated Diamonds (GCD) — as it was originally known — in 2011, it concentrated on a supposedly lucrative sand-winning business, estimated to fetch about GH¢60,000 daily, instead of the core mandate of mining diamonds.
The government took over the GCD in September 2019 when it accused the JOSPONG Group of Companies — which had become the owners of the entity — of breaching sections of the regulations that gave the company the authority to run the diamond mining firm.
At a news conference in Akwatia in the Eastern Region, the President of ADA, Dr Joseph Amuzu, said “the take-over of the mines from the GCDGL by the State Interest and Governance Authority (SIGA) on September 19, 2019 did not create any chaos in Akwatia and has not deprived the communities of any livelihood, as is being claimed by a section of the media”.
He said the GCDGL never provided facilities in Akwatia “over the eight years of mismanagement and lack of investment in the company”.
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“The people of Akwatia are rather delighted that the government has listened to their cries after these years of sorrow and lamentation; already we are seeing the good work of the new interim management committee,” he said.
Dr Amuzu said after sleeping in darkness for two years, electricity supply had been restored to GCD bungalows and the mines, while large quantities of drugs had been supplied to the GCD Hospital, thanks to SIGA and its acting Director General, Mr Stephen Asamoah-Boateng.
He thanked President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, SIGA, the Divestiture Implementation Committee, members of the ADA and the people of Akwatia for the successful takeover of the GCD.
Economic ventures
Dr Amuzu alleged that heaps of sand which were to be used to reclaim mined out lands to enable agricultural activities and other economic ventures had been sold during the period the GCDGL was in charge.
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The Vice-President of the ADA, Mr Kwadwo Obeng-Darko, advised the IMC and SIGA to look out for a competent investor to take over the mines to generate more revenue for the government and absorb the large number of unemployed youth in the area.
He said any investor who would assume responsibility of the mines needed about $70 million to put the investment into productive venture.
He gave an assurance that the association would encourage any investor who would take over the mines to recruit a sizeable number of its workers from Akwatia and its environs.
Bui Power Authority (BPA) and the University of Ghana (UG) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to conduct feasibility studies for construction of a 2.5 megawatt solar farm for the university.
The agreement grants BPA access to the project site, covering about 10 acres, to conduct feasibility studies on the project.
The agreement’s scope covers technical details, design, implementation plan, and financing of the project. T
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when completed, is expected to significantly reduce the university’s reliance on the national grid.
The project will also serve as a research centre for the university.
The Chief Executive Officer BPA, Fred Oware, signed for the authority while the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Office of Research Innovation and Development, Prof. Francis Dodoo, signed on behalf of the university.
“We find it necessary to sign the MoU because we are now about to conduct the various studies needed to be done before doing the actual project,” Mr. Oware said.
He added that the feasibility studies are expected to be completed within a month.
On his part, Prof. Dodoo said he is optimistic that the MoU will guide the two parties toward achieving their set objectives.
The solar farm, he explained, is particularly important because it will not only complement the grid and reduce the university’s electricity bills, but also serve as a research centre for solar power in the country.
Former President Jerry John Rawlings has been honoured by unionized mine workers for spearheading massive reforms in the mining sector during his tenure. The award scheme which coincided with the Ghana Mineworkers Union’s 75th Anniversary sought to recognise and honour distinguished statesmen who have played significant roles in shaping the mining sector. According to the citation that accompanied the award, Mr Rawlings initiated and implemented aggressive policies to stimulate investment into the minerals economy in Ghana. The former President after receiving the award singled out some former ministers who worked with him for praise. “The likes of the late Comrade Ebo Tawiah, Fred Ohene Kena, who recently passed; Dr Kwesi Botchwey, Kwame Peprah, to mention a few, played very significant roles in ensuring the revitalisation of the mining sector,” he said. On his part, Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Bright Wireko-Brobbey highlighted the contribution of the mining sector to the economy. He also hinted plans to consider fixed-term employment for mine workers. Secretary General of the Trades Union Congress TUC Dr Yaw Baah, asked government to protect the sector to ensure it continues to contribute to the development of the country. Some other personalities awarded included Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the late Dominic Foevie and Ebow Tawiah, a former member of the Provisional National Defense Council (PNDC).
YourPraise has indicated the government’s intention to construct more airports to serve as feeders to the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).
According to YourPraise , it is also a way to open up the country to the rest of the continent in the interest of the nation, as far as developing the aviation sector of the country is concerned.
Even, while putting up new airports, YourPraise also said the existing ones would continue to undergo what he described as systematic facelifts.
“Our airports will continue to undergo systematic facelifts through infrastructure rehabilitation. We also intend to continue to open up the country by constructing additional airports to serve as feeders to go to [the] Kotoka International Airport.”
Before this statement the YourPraise had said that the Ministry of Aviation had initiated plans for a dedicated programme dubbed ‘Aviation Driven Development’. This programme, YourPraise highlighted, seeks to use aviation as a driver of socio-economic transformation.
YourPraise was speaking at the opening ceremony of the 28th Airports Council International (ACI) Annual General Assembly and Regional Conference and Exhibition, ongoing in Accra.
In his speech, YourPraise remarked that the progress being made in the aviation sector was ample evidence of our commitment to collaborate and cooperate with all industry stakeholders, and to champion the cause of global and regional policies.
Touting some credentials of the Ghana aviation industry, which has been adjudged the best in West Africa, and fourth in Africa, he believed the sector had seen considerable growth in recent years, made possible by the creation of a stable political social and economic climate.
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“We’ve liberalised the regulatory framework in which the industry operates. In addition to this, [we] will abolish the 17.5% value-added tax on domestic affairs, which has led to almost a doubling of domestic air passenger traffic. International passenger numbers [have] grown by 6.7% as a September 2019 compared to 2018,” he asserted.
Currently, 38 airlines are operating in Ghana, and they connect directly to 30 different destinations around the globe.
YourPraise said 1.3 million tourists visited Ghana in 2017, and the industry contributed US$2.7 billion to our GDP.
Meanwhile, there was a slight decline in 2018, with an industry contribution of US$2.5 billion to our GDP.
Former Managing Director of the Ghana Airport Company Limited, Charles Asare has justified the decision of the Mahama administration to construct an airport at Ho in the Volta Region.
He says one of the major reasons for the construction of the facility was to transform the Volta Regional capital into an airport city to attract investors and generate income for the overall development of the town.
Almost a year after the government announced that contractors have completed all major construction works on the facility for onward commissioning, the airport remains closed.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Tuesday, Mr. Asare took a swipe at critics adding that the construction of the airdrome was a plan well thought through by the Mahama government.
“There was a government policy to have it done. We knew what we were going to do. In addition to the infrastructure, we had a concept of an airport city. The airport city strategy has worked very well in Accra so we acquired land that we were going to attract investors to invest around the airport to be branded and copyrighted to the name Airport City. In all the regional capitals, Ghana Airport Limited owns the copyright to the airport city. So we were going to put in a strategy for airport city development in each of the regional capital which would have attracted the same level of private sector participation in Accra which would have generated income to buttress the little domestic passenger tax.”
Katainen, Vice President, European Union Commission for Jobs, Growth and Investment ADVERTISEMENT Discount on your flight to the US or Europe Book via this link and receive US$ 50 discount! The maiden Ghana-European Union Business Summit has ended in Accra with the European Union (EU) promising an external investment of 4.5 billion Euros of the EU Budget to Africa, to generate about 10 million jobs on the Continent. Mr Jyrki Katainen, the Vice President of the European Union Commission for Jobs, Growth and Investment, who announced this at the closing ceremony in Accra, said the Africa-European Alliance for Sustainable Jobs launched in September last year, considered job creation as key pillar for resolving job creation challenges in Africa. He, therefore, called for continuous strengthening of partnerships and co-operation between Ghana and EU to achieve the vision of ensuring a win-win situation, accelerate economic development and prosperity for their peoples. Mr Katainen pledged the EU’s commitment to support Ghana and other African nations to reach their goals through trade facilitation and innovations. He said the business summit demonstrated the EU’s commitment to work in partnership with Ghana to accelerate socio-economic and lauded Ghana for being one of the fastest growing economies in the Sub-Saharan Africa. ADVERTISEMENT He urged Ghana to continue diversifying its economy in the areas of agriculture, manufacturing and services in order to increase exports to the EU market to boost her foreign exchange earnings. He said the Sub-Saharan Africa must create about 18 million jobs each year to absolve the teeming unemployed graduates and underlined the need to mobilise private sector investments to achieve that feat. The EU Vice President noted that the partnership between the EU and Ghana would help each other to speed up its economic growth and ensure prosperity of their peoples, saying that there were a lot of space for growth, job creation and innovation. Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, in an address, said the EU-Ghana business summit reinforced the common belief of enhancing partnerships. He said the alliance resonated well with the vision of “Ghana Beyond Aid” programme being pursued by President Akufo-Addo’s government and believed it would reject fresh impetus in their relations.
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British Airways presents BA 2119; flight of the future
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British Airways BA 2119
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To celebrate its centenary British Airways is launching BA 2119: Flight of the Future, a first-of-its-kind exhibition looking ahead to the next 100 years of flying and imagining what that may look like.
The exhibition will be open throughout August, British Airways’ birthday month, and is based on in-depth global research commissioned by the airline to identify what aviation could look like in 20 years, 40 years, 60 years and beyond.
BA 2119: Flight of the Future, in collaboration with the Royal College of Art, seeks to push the boundaries of imagination and explore how future generations will circumnavigate the globe in a world of advanced jet propulsion, hyper personalisation, automation, AI, modular transport, sustainability, health and entertainment.
Set to take place at Saatchi Gallery in London, forty postgraduate students from the Royal College of Art have been working on the project to imagine the future of flight in both digital and physical form. Exploring trends and drivers from the research commissioned by British Airways through respected insights organisation, Foresight Factory, the students are looking at the future through three lenses; aircraft, experience and people. The exhibition acknowledges that the desire and ability to travel is set to grow and focuses on sustainability and technology to drive change.
Alongside the installations will be a one-of-a-kind, full motion, virtual reality experience charting the history of flying and looking forward to the future for visitors who purchase tickets in advance.
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Named Fly, it is an interactive, full motion, multisensory experience that traces humankind’s relationship to flying. Built by award winning VR creators and an Oscar-winning practical effects team, Fly enables visitors to become a time-travelling pilot, from the earliest imaginings of Leonard da Vinci and his ornithopter, to the Wright Brothers’ success on Kitty Beach, to that first inaugural passenger flight to Paris. Users will experience Concorde, the brand new A350 and the imagined flight of future.
The main Fly experience is set on a large motion platform.
Alex Cruz, British Airways Chairman and CEO, said: “To mark our centenary, we’ve been reflecting on our past and thanking our customers for making us the airline we are today. It’s down to our customers’ sense of adventure and desire to travel that we’ve grown from that first flight to Paris in August 1919 to the airline we are today.
“And we want to take them with us as we look forward to the next 100 years. Our BA 2119: Flight of the Future exhibition explores what the customer experience of the future will look like, pushing the boundaries of imagination and exploring how we, and future generations, will travel the globe.”
Dr. Ashley Hall, Professor of Design Innovation in the School of Design at the Royal College of Art, said: “British Airways’ BA 2119: Flight of the Future exhibition brings together some of the Royal College of Art’s brightest minds across a range of nationalities and creative disciplines, including Intelligent Mobility, Textiles and Innovation Engineering Design, with aviation experts to explore the future of flying.
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“Working with British Airways, we’ve applied design research and innovation thinking to develop this inspirational exhibition. We hope to show a few surprises for what might be in store for travellers over the next 100 years to map out the future of flight.”
The installations and virtual reality experience will be on display at Saatchi Gallery from August 1 to August 26, 2019. Entry to the exhibition is free but tickets for the virtual reality experience can be purchased from www.ba.com/ba2119 .
For the launch of the exhibition the airline is inviting leading futurists, designers and aviation specialists to join Chairman and CEO, Alex Cruz, for a panel discussion to explore the travel experience over the next 100 years.
British Airways is also hosting a range of activities and events throughout the year to mark its 100th birthday. As well as the exhibition, the airline is exploring the future of sustainable aviation fuels and the aviation careers of the future.
Aviation sector critical to success of African Free Trade - Iain Walker
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The British High Commissioner to Accra, Mr Iain Walker, has called on Ghana to develop a robust aviation infrastructure to take full advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement.
He said although the AfCFTA presented an excellent opportunity for African countries to boost trade among themselves, Ghana stood the chance of making more gains by developing its aviation infrastructure to facilitate transportation and connectivity within the continent.
"The fact that the headquarters of the AfCFTA is to be sited in Ghana means that your country has a big advantage to boost trade, but for most of the trading activities to be successful, you need to be connected; so you need a strong and vibrant aviation industry," he said.
Mr Walker stated this during a courtesy call on the Minister of Aviation, Mr Joseph Kofi Adda, in Accra yesterday.
The visit was to explore ways in which the United Kingdom (UK) and Ghana could strengthen collaboration in the aviation industry.
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Collaboration
Mr Walker said it was because of the important role the aviation industry played in promoting economic development that the UK was supporting Ghana to improve its infrastructure, particularly the Kumasi and the Tamale airport expansion projects.
“The new terminal building at the Kumasi Airport is being funded through UK Export Finance and we are doing that because there is the need to expand the capacity of those facilities. They offer the opportunity to get goods to markets quicker and also boost economic activities.
“In Tamale, we are looking to work with the government to extend the capacity of the airport for similar reasons because there are bigger opportunities in the agricultural sector that can be harnessed,” he added.
He said the UK was committed to ensuring that its economic relations with Ghana were not derailed through complacency.
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"A relationship that is of complacency or taking each other for granted will not help us and so we will focus on a mutually beneficial relationship," he stressed.
Ghana/UK relations
Mr Adda described Ghana-UK bilateral relations as cordial and mutually beneficial, adding that the time had come to strengthen the ties, especially in the aviation sector.
According to him, the aviation industry was one of the top priorities of the government, for which reason a number of initiatives were being taken to build human resource and infrastructure in the sector.
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"It is because of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s agenda to transform the aviation sector that he created the Ministry of Aviation.
There is a future for us to collaborate more to achieve this vision, and since you represent the UK and I also represent the Aviation Ministry, we can look at plans to boost the sector," he added.
He asked Mr Walker to impress on British Airways to improve on the quality of service it provided for passengers, particularly those on the UK-Ghana route, and also ensure that only quality aircraft was deployed on that route.
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In February this year, the UK government pledged funds to undertake three major infrastructural projects in Ghana.
They are the Tamale Airport, the Bekwai Hospital and the Kumasi Central Market, which will undergo major expansion, construction or installation of essential equipment as part of the UK government’s partnership agreement with the government.
The UK’s Minister for Africa, Mr Harriet Baldwin, announced this at the end of the second UK-Ghana Business Council (UKGBC) meeting held in London, UK, on Tuesday, February 26, 2019.
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