The Ghana Trade Fair Company (GTFC) on Thursday presented 60 million cedis dividend to the government covering two years of its operations as limited liability company and announced plans to change the present focus of the international trade fair centre to a multi-purpose trade centre.
This means that a number of activities would be held simultaneously without any conflict. Mr. Kwesi Ahwoi, Chairman of the company's board of directors said this when he presented the cheque for the dividend and out-doored the master plan for the new look centre designed by the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
The plan comprises spacious exhibition halls, a three-star hotel, a cinema complex, shopping arcade and a convention centre.
The rest are an amphi-theatre, warehouse and a functional children's play ground.
Mr Ahwoi said given the evident dwindling capacity of government to fund the master plan project, the board has decided that funding would be largely private-sector- driven on a leasehold basis.
He said government funding would be restricted to infrastructure rehabilitation and the construction exhibition of halls.
"The first action which has been taken on this is the construction of the new air-conditioned exhibition hall funded by government which is still in progress and will be completed by February next year to host the forthcoming INDUTEC International Trade Fair."
Mr. Ahwoi said the centre has a positive role to play in the policy objectives of making Ghana the gateway to West Africa.
Receiving the cheque, Mr Victor Selormey, Deputy Minister of Finance said the dividend was a surprise to the government because it was not expecting anything from the GTFC.
It was even more surprising because the government was only able to provide a third of the cedi capital component of 832.5 million cedis whereas the dollar component of 86.5 could not be procured for the re-capitalisation of the centre, he said.
The centre was turned into a limited liability company in 1997.
Mr. Selormey said it was gratifying that the centre honoured all its statutory tax obligations and was able to raise such a dividend.
