Ghanaian companies embark on trade mission to Italy

Ghanaian business companies would, on October 29, 2014, participate in an Ecomondo Fair in Italy to strengthen business opportunities for both countries.

The trade mission, which comprises 21 Ghanaian companies and 27 participants, is organised by the World Trade Centre, Accra, UNIDO and the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Italy.

The objective is to present Ghanaian companies to the Italian business community and strengthen the collaboration between the two countries to explore business opportunities for trade investment.

The Ghanaian companies would make presentations on renewable energy, waste management, and agriculture to expose the country as well as explore other businesses that exist in Ghana to the Italian business community.

The companies include Swift Solutions Limited, Aynan Limited, Lexes Company Limited, Rab Concept, Edern Security Services, National Investment Bank, Agricultural Development Bank, Free Zones Board, and EDIF.

Togbe Afede XIV, Board Chairman of the Centre, said the Centre, owned by Strategic Initiatives Limited, acquired the license to operate from the World Trade Centres Association (WTCA) in New York, to operate in Accra, Ghana.

Togbe Afede XIV said WTC Accra was thus a member of the prestigious WTCA, whose membership include more than 300 world trade centres operating in 100 countries, a global network that provided business people the services and facilities for easy and faster international trade.

He said through the WTCA, WTC Accra became a local link to all other world trade centres with a unique concept of reciprocity, making membership in WTC Accra an entry into the international business community.

He said the centre aimed to bring together businesses and government agencies involved in international trade to provide essential trade services and stimulate the economy of the country.

Togbe Afede XIV said some of the services of the centre include conference facilities, trade fairs and exhibitions, trade missions, trade information services, market research and other miscellaneous services.

He said the centre had organised a successful trade mission to Brazil, and the United States of America for Ghanaian companies to exhibit their products for business opportunities and investment.

He urged the companies to make a strong presentation of their various companies at the fair in Italy to attract investors for the country.

Mrs Laura Carpini, Italian Ambassador to Ghana, said the mission was timely because both countries had enjoyed excellent relations in every field of the bilateral ties, and longstanding ones.

He said the presentation in Rome would focus on three sectors; Green Economy, Infrastructure and Agro-Industry and that 168 Italian companies and institutions had confirmed their participation.

She said Italy and Ghana shared a common vision based on respect of rule of law and human rights aimed to work to ensure the best possible standard of living for its peoples.

“At the Governmental level, relations have been excellent and Italy has accompanied Ghana’s successful path of economic growth and development with its financial support, both bilaterally and through the EU and multilateral institutions’ channels,” she said.

The Ambassador said with a Gross Domestic Product of more than 2000 billion dollars, Italy was the fifth manufacturing economy worldwide and second in Europe.

She said Italy was also ranked second in the world for business innovation-oriented clusters and 10th largest market, in addition to world’s 10th leading exporting nation with almost 500 billion euros of export.