S. African envoy says Ghana's economic problems normal

Koforidua, May 28, GNA - The Acting High Commissioner of the Republic of South Africa to Ghana, Mr Philip Riley, has observed that the economic problems facing Ghana are normal and can be addressed.

What is important is for the managers of the economy to identify the problems and take appropriate initiatives to solve them, he added. Mr Riley made the observation when he met some members of the business community in Koforidua on Friday under a new programme organised by the Eastern FM Limited, a local radio station in Koforidua, dubbed "culture and places of the world".

He said the cost of travelling from South Africa to Ghana and back was almost double the cost of making a round trip from South Africa to Europe, adding that this high cost of travelling does not encourage more travelling among citizens of the two countries. Mr Riley said his office had held meetings with the two airlines plying the route, South African Airlines and Ghana Airways, over the issue but there had not been any improvement in the situation.

He said Africa had been discriminated against the terms of investment and that it was about time Africans worked together to prove to the world that the continent is ready for direct investment by those holding investment capital. He urged journalists in the Eastern Region to write more articles that could market the region to people and investors. More Mr Kwesi Amponsah, Marketing Manager of Intravenous Infusions Limited, called on small-scale companies to cultivate the culture of joint ventures to enable them to attract partners from other economies of the world.

He said it was time entrepreneurs in the country abandoned the idea of always managing their own businesses. Nana Kofi Adjei Twinin I, Executive Director of Mac-Die Enterprises, appealed to the Acting High Commissioner to help promote interaction between the business community in the Eastern Region with their counterparts in South Africa. He said the region has great tourism potential with high returns for any investor.