Ghana Beyond Aid is attainable – US

The United States Secretary for Commerce, Wilbur Ross has endorsed President Akufo-Addo’s vision of a ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’.

Speaking at the plenary session of the U.S-Ghana Business Forum at the Accra Marriott Hotel under the theme; ‘Strengthening U.S. – Ghana Commercial Partnership Towards a Ghana Beyond Aid’, Secretary Ross, said the United States is looking forward to a strong trade relationship with Ghana and the rest of Africa and to move away from the era of aid and grants to the African continent.

Ghana, he said, is on the right path with the decision of government to work towards an economy that will be anchored on increased trade activities rather than reliance on handouts and aid from the developed world.

The U.S. Secretary for Commerce, Wilbur Ross, is leading a sixty (60) member delegation from the President Donald Trump ‘President’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa’ (PAC-DBIA) on a fact-finding mission to Ghana.

The visit is aimed at providing an opportunity for the delegation to gather insight into market opportunities and challenges faced by U.S. businesses in the fast-growing Ghanaian economy.

The PAC-DBIA will use this information to provide Mr. Trump with reliable and actionable recommendations to deepen commercial relationships in Ghana.

On the issue of corruption, Secretary Wilbur Ross, commended government for appointing a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the largest opposition party in the country, (Mr. Martin Amidu), as the first Special Prosecutor, to investigate and prosecute both past and present public officials who engage in corrupt practices that result in loss of revenue to the state.

He called on government and all stakeholders to contribute all they can to the fight against corruption emphasizing that corruption has no place in the development of a country governed by the rule of law.

He also hailed the recently rolled out National Identification Card Project by the National Identification Authority (NIA) describing it as a step in the right direction that has the potential of helping the country to increase the numbers in its taxpayers net.

He urged the government, the opposition and the project implementing authority to do all within their reach to make the ‘Ghana Card’ project a success.