President John Evans Atta Mills has applauded the
United States of America for its interest in Ghana’s development and provoked
American investors to partner Ghana to satisfy the needs of the people.
President Mills recognised the US as a partner in
development and said government would remove all challenges that stood in the
way of investment for the benefits to be metamorphosed into the lives of
Ghanaians and other African nations.
‘’Our people are crying for development; the only
reason why they put us in power is because they want to see improvement in
their lives and not because they love us,’’ President Mills said these when he
met with American Investors at a luncheon organised by the Business Council for
International Understanding (BCIU) and hosted by Chevron, Coca Cola and Kosmos
Energy in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
President Mills said Ghana as a country did not
have time to waste with regards to its developmental agenda and that his government
is preoccupied with programs and policies which would improve the lives of the
people.
He said though Ghana had no capital the country is
blessed with some natural resources and believes that a partnership with the investors
would enable his administration to satisfy the needs of the people. He further
added that a partnership with the US investors should be based on mutual
benefits where the investors would have good returns on their investment
‘’What we have to do if we want to remain in power
is to ensure that we use whatever resource available to empower and improve on
the living standards of the people.’’ He said.
President Mills assured the investors that Ghana’s investment
climate was conducive to good business in that investors would have no cause to
regret if they put their monies in that country.
He said ‘’We are aware that all around us,
countries are fighting to get investors, but as a sub region we are attempting
to remove the barriers that create unnecessary difficulties for us; in the past
we could not progress as a unit because of needless hostility and wrangling among
leaders; I am happy to say that there is a clear change because all the leaders
realise that the people who put us into office have one thing in common-great
expectations.
These days they can copy notes and see what is good for them, what is lacking
and what needs to be done.’’
President Mills said Ghana regarded the US as a
partner in development and expressed appreciation for the contributions of the
US to Ghana over the years, and called for increased investment for mutual
benefits.
He said Africa is undergoing a change and believes that
within the foreseeable future Africa would be the continent of choice as far as
investment is concerned.
‘’I have always said that one of Africa’s problems
is our inability as leaders to determine when we have overstayed our welcome;
events in Africa has shown that when we overstay our welcome, our hosts they
first of all refuse to invite us for dinner the next time they will throw out
our bag and baggage and that is where you will realise that you have overstayed.
‘President Mills said.
He explained that Ghana had learnt useful lessons from
its mistakes and wants to join hands with America for mutually beneficial
partnerships, where the people would be able to derive the benefits from the
partnership.
He opined that though there had been problems in the
past and not agreed on every issue there is now a paradigm shift where things
are taken a more positive step towards making Ghana a better place for all.
‘’there can be no society without challenges; where
you have challenges you learn from experience and I believe we have become
richer and more experienced as we confront these challenges. We have to do our
things properly now and stand out as a country of choice’’ President Mills
said.
