Be honest with the gov't -JAK

THE SECOND Ghana Investors Advisory Council (GIAC) meeting opened in Accra yesterday.

Addressing the opening session, President John Agyekum Kufuor reminded himself that his government is almost two years old, which signifies that he has only two years left.

He, therefore, appealed to members of the Ghana Council not to let any bureaucratic encumbrances hold up whatever ideas they might have on what the government should do to attract foreign direct investment (FDI).

“I want to emphasise that I want your unvarnished opinions to come to me directly without going through the ministry or any other organisation”, he said.

“I do not want whatever language you choose to express your opinions in, to be encumbered with ‘official speak’, because we shall risk the essence of your message getting lost as civil servants and other officials might seek to re-package what you have to say”, he further stated.

President Kufuor recounted that since GIAC’s first meeting, the government has made some strides in tackling some of the areas that were identified as hindrances to Ghana being an attractive investment destination.

He pointed out that the security situation has improved considerably, the Police Service morale has been improved with the provision of vehicles and equipment, whilst a programme aimed at increasing the number of police personnel is underway.

A legal reform process is also underway, the controversy over the Fast Track Court (FTC) is now resolved, commercial disputes can be settled quickly, companies’ code has been reviewed, the Labour Bill is currently before Parliament and many more; all aimed at facilitating and boosting investments in Ghana, he observed.

He noted that there are still some important issues to be resolved, example of which are, proposals for establishment of an offshore banking enclave, land reform and many others.

“I await your recommendations on these and other outstanding matters”, he intoned.

He expressed the hope that at the end of GIAC’s second meeting, ideas and advice would be clearly put on paper for study and possible imputing into government policy.

The GIAC was instituted by President Kufuor to enable his government take a giant step in developing the lot of the people.

Members of the GIAC include local and, international investors, potential investors and some members of government.

Others are representatives from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, Ghana Investments Promotion Council (GIPC), Private Enterprise Foundation and UN Development Programme (UNDP).