Asantehene advises Shippers Council on investment

Kumasi, Sept. 01 GNA-- Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene, has appealed to the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) to show flexibility to businessmen who decide to invest in the country so as to encourage more investors to take advantage of good business and political climate prevailing in Ghana.

He pointed out that, there are so many developing countries which have opened their doors for businessmen to bring in their wealth to invest.

That is why, the Asantehene said, Ghana should have flexible terms for businessmen to invest in the country to enable them to help solve unemployment problems and to improve the economy. Otumfuo Osei Tutu was speaking to Board Members of the Ghana Shippers Council who called on him at the Manhyia Palace to brief him on the progress of work at the Boankra Inland Port in the Ashanti Region, according to a press statement issued by Mr. G.B Osei -Antwi , Media Relations Manager .

The Asantehene stressed that if Ghana wanted to attract investors, ''we should remove some of the harsh terms which do not allow them (investors) to repatriate their profits''.

He said Ghanaians were eagerly awaiting the take--off and said with the enstoolment of a substantive chief at Boankra, it will facilitate the realization of the project.''

Otumfuo Osei Tutu said he had personally met a number of businessmen during his tour in foreign countries who have expressed interest in the Boankra Inland Port Project, stressing some of them are looking at how they could invest in Railways in the Region.

Mr. Kofi Mbiah, Chief Executive of the Council disclosed that a Shippers Centre, comprising offices, banking hall, Conference and Committee rooms as well as a restaurant, had been completed and utilities such as electricity and water were get to be connected..´

He said a plot of land had been allocated to the Electricity Company of Ghana to install transformers and other equipment, while contacts had been made to drill bore-holes to help solve the water problem in the area.

He said the Board had received a number of applications from foreign investors, including Kuwait, Singapore Korea, Israel and the United Kingdom who want to do business with to Shippers Council. The Board expressed gratitude to the Asantehene for marketing the project during his travels abroad.

The Chief Executive officer disclosed that plans have been in place to put up warehouses for trucks to offload their goods instead of keeping the transit goods on vehicles.

He said now that Boankra has a substantive chief, he is hopeful that the necessary documents on the land will soon be signed, so that the compensation on the land, which had been deposited at a Bank, be released to them.