Golden age of business, task for all - Mensah.

The Senior Minister, Mr. Joseph Henry Mensah, on Sunday said the attainment of the "Golden Age of Business" was not a task for the government alone, but a national development programme, which needed the collaboration of experts from both the public and private sectors for accelerated development.

He said the nation had talents, which could be tapped for the resolution of problems, such as those confronting the energy, agricultural, industrial, financial services, information technology and the construction sectors.

Mr. Mensah was speaking to the GNA, at the end of a four-day workshop on "Stimulating new types of private investments and revitalising the financial sector to provide necessary funding to feed investments," at Elmina.

The workshop attended by about 80 experts from both the private and public sectors, including bankers, businessmen, industrialists, information and communication technologists and some foreign investors, was on the theme "Investments and Finance in the Golden Age of Business".

Mr. Mensah, who is also Head of the Government Economic Management Team, said the private sector, for instance, had to be consulted about the method, financial and technical resources needed, while Parliament had to play its role in the creation of the necessary institutions to eliminate factors hindering private sector growth.

The whole machinery of state would have to be progressively re-orientated, he declared, stressing that, the growth of the private sector, was imperative for an improvement in the country's GDP, which was the basis of the government's development strategy.

The Senior Minister described the workshop as fruitful and hinted that its recommendations would be an input for a national development plan, being evolved by the government.

The workshop was organised by the office of the Senior Minister and the Economic Management Team, to find an antidote to stimulate investment in the country, which was not growing at the pace expected by the Government for accelerated private sector growth.

Issues deliberated on included "private investment challenges, role of traditional development banks," "communication and information technology," "building infrastructure and growth opportunities" and "mobilising domestic long term finances for new investment challenges".