British Minister of State due in Accra next week

Accra, March 1, GNA - Mr Hilary Benn, British Minister of State for International Development, is to pay a working visit to Ghana from March 8 to March 9.

Mr Benn, while in Ghana, would hold talks with top government officials and also discuss Department of International Development's (DFID's) activities in Ghana's development programme.

A statement made available to the Ghana News Agency in Accra said the British Minister is scheduled to visit DFID-funded projects in the country. The projects are on health, education and infrastructure facilities in Suhum, Adawso and Nkwanta.

Mr Benn would host a press conference before departure. Ghana is Britain's fourth largest market in Sub-Saharan Africa after South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya.

The United Kingdom continues to be the largest foreign investor - estimated at around 500 million pounds.

The Ghana Investments Promotion Centre records show that Britain has 157 companies registered in Ghana, " I believe that some twenty - thirty of these are dormant," Mr Kevin Lynch, Trade and Investment Advisor at the British High Commission said, adding, "we have the list from 1994 to date and will be checking in the near future which companies are still active."

Several British companies in Top 100 Club represented in Ghana, including, Lonrho (as part of Lonmin has 32 per cent shares in the Ashanti Goldfields), Unilever, Taylor Woodrow - known as Taysec locally, Standard Chartered Bank, Barclays, Guinness among other companies. Exports are however, declining: 1997, 270 million pounds; 1998, 222 million pounds; 1999, 174 million pounds; 2000, 169 million pounds; 2001, 144 million pounds and 2003 139 million pounds.

The 2003 figure was however, 20 per cent up.