Akwasi Awua Ababio is in charge of Diaspora Affairs at the presidency
Ghanaians living in the diaspora have been encouraged to invest in opportunities available in the Ashanti and Western regions, even as the government promotes its African Sankofa Savings Account to draw people living in the diaspora to invest in the country.
Akwasi Awua Ababio, Director, Diaspora Affairs, at the Office of the President of Ghana, made this known during the first Virtual Green Investment Forum organized by the SNV, a not-for-profit international development organization, funded by the European Union.
Delivering the keynote address, he expressed his excitement at the fact that the forum was targeted at the Ashanti and Western regions, which have been directly affected by activities of illegal mining, and, to draw opportunities to the potentials in those regions.
“I am excited that attention is being paid, particularly to these two regions, for the ravages we have been causing to them over some time, most recently in our mining activities, in our farming methods, and the exportation of our timber,” he said.
He was also grateful for the timeliness of the forum, to address ways of greening the environment, after all the damages that have been caused it.
“This greener initiative we want to bring to bear as far as our business methods, our exploitation, and harnessing of these two regions are concerned, is very timely and very welcomed by this government,” he said.
He was hopeful that with the knowledge that people living in the diaspora have acquired, they can help make better the farming methods present in the country today, all in an attempt to save the environment from further harm.
Anjo van Toorn Ghana Country Director for SNV said that their project is intended to create some 5000 jobs and support Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to incubate and accelerate.
“GrEEn creates green jobs. GrEEn targets women, youth, returnees, and MSMEs. Very concretely, GrEEn wants to create 5000 jobs and support MSMEs to incubate and accelerate in the Western and Ashanti regions,” he said.
He also urged people to do more to support green employments across the country, making it a lifestyle more than routine practice.
Diana Acconcia, the EU Ambassador to Ghana, who gave the opening address, stated that this idea, meant to support green enterprise and ecosystem in the Western and Ashanti regions of Ghana will start a dialogue among those who have the ideas and the business skills, and those who can provide the means to transform the ideas into reality.
“Greening investments is a key way forward for Ghana to ensure a transition from a linear and carbon-intensive economy to a more climate-resilient, circular and sustainable economy, as envisioned by the Government’s Green Jobs Strategy. We look forward to many green jobs and businesses being created through the networks and partnerships emerging from this and the coming GrEEn investment fora,” she said.
Participants also discussed ideas that will make them realize available potentials in the two regions, among other related issues over a three-day period.
The forum was on the theme, ‘Boosting Economic Opportunities in the Green and Circular Economy.”
