Ghana sets to market investment opportunities

Representatives from the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), key policy makers and a number of industry players in the business community are set to leverage on the opportunity created by this year’s Annual Investment Meeting (AIM) to attract potential direct foreign investors to Ghana’s economy.

Instructively, this gathering serves as an avenue to connect business to business, government to business and countries willing to engage in sustainable partnerships with potential investors for onward economic development.

Dubbed as the world’s largest investment gathering and the leading platform for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), the meeting is an economic initiative that brings together global corporate leaders, international investors, renowned entrepreneurs and leading technocrats to deliberate on major policies to attract FDI.

According to the World Bank, in 2017, Ghana’s inflows of FDI were US$3.255 billion making the country among the highest receivers of FDI in the world. Assessed by commitments rather than actual inflows, Ghana did even better, attracting intentions to invest to the tune of some US$6 billion, the highest level recorded by the country since it liberalized its investment code in 1995.

Participants are expected to discuss the impact of digital globalization, how policies can be put in place to encourage an innovative investment atmosphere as well as the need to create long-term investment opportunities and how to attract and develop skilled talents from across the world.

The meeting is scheduled to take place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 8th to 10th April, 2019. The GIPC has reiterated its commitment to continuously drive Ghana’s investment potentials for investors in the upcoming investment meeting.

Last year, the GIPC together with the Ghana Embassy in the UAE, Ghana Gulf Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Ghana Free Zones Authority commenced an investment promotion activity in the UAE at the 2018 edition of the meeting to attract potential investors to boost commercial activities in the domestic economy.

As this year marks the year of return – commemorating 400 years since Ghana was roped into the international slave trade – sector players and key stakeholders in the investment and tourism sectors are in talks with the global investment community to invest in the country, most especially in the rural communities and activities such as the Annual Investment Meeting are therefore crucial for the economy’s investment attraction drive.

At last year’s edition of the event, the GIPC was awarded for being the best investment promotion agency in West and Central Africa and the honour was the third in succession received by the Centre at the event.

The theme for this year’s event is: Mapping the Future of FDI – Enriching World Economics through Digital Globalization.

Meanwhile, the GIPC, Tourism Ministry and key stakeholders have designed major activities to leverage on CNN’s identification of Ghana as one of the notable tourism and investment destinations in 2019.