Government has goodwill abroad - Minister

Northern Regional Minister, Mr. Ernest Akubour Debrah, has said the government has tremendous goodwill abroad. ''The business community in the United States now sees Ghana as a safe haven and a good destination for investment,'' he said, and described the goodwill the government is enjoying as "amazing".

Mr. Debrah was briefing newsmen in Sunyani on his participation in an investment forum to showcase the economic potentials and investment opportunities of Brong Ahafo in the US.

The Regional Ministers of Brong Ahafo, Ashanti and Western regions represented their regions at the forum in Washington DC from March 20-21. It was initiated by Mr. Alan Kyerematen, former Ghana's Ambassador to the US and now nominated as Minister of Trade, Industry and Presidential Initiatives.

Mr. Debrah said responses by most of the businessmen, after very remarkable presentations by the regions, suggested that before the assumption of office of the government they knew nothing about investment in Ghana.

Mr. Debrah said a company, the Metropolitan Community Development Corporation, had planned to build a 500-bedroom capacity hotel in Brong Ahafo to give a boost to the hospitality industry in the region.

The facility will be sited around Kintampo-Techiman-Wenchi area where most of the region's tourist attractions like waterfalls, animal sanctuary and national parks are located. He said the President of the company, Mr. Edward Locket and his team, would arrive in Ghana on April 20 to tour the various tourist sites in the region to assess the situation on the ground.

Mr. Debrah, who was accompanied on the trip by Mr. Francis Opoku Boateng, Regional Co-ordinating Director and some businessmen from the region, said the forum was acclaimed as one of the most successfully organized in recent times in the US. He added that all the projects by the region attracted investors who became very excited and expressed their desire to come and invest in the region.

Mr. Debrah said a team from Invectica Group of Companies led by its Business Development Manager, are interested in agro processing and brick tile industries and would visit the region to inspect some clay deposit sites and some agro processing companies.

Mrs. Cherly Dobbin, President of Basic Technologies International Corporation, requested for 24 kilometres square expanse of land to establish an animal husbandry, to process cassava, spices and animal products for export. A business delegation from the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce will visit Ghana from May 20 and will visit Brong Ahafo.

Mr. Debrah said some of the businessmen complained about delays in clearance of goods at the ports. He said Mr. Kwamena Bartels, Minister for Private Sector Development, who also participated in the forum, explained that the situation at the country's ports had changed for the better.

Mr. Debrah appealed to the media to assist in promoting domestic tourism to attract both international tourists and potential investors. He said he later interacted with Brong Ahafo community in Washington and explained Government policies, briefed them about current developments in the region and urged them to come home to invest.