Government targets diasporans to invest in economy

Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has said the government will implement deliberate policies to attract diaspora investors to invest in the Ghanaian economy.

He said that the government has already started attracting foreign investors into the country.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Diaspora Business Breakfast meeting organized by the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) and the Beyond the Return Secretariat, Mr. Ofori-Atta said: “When we look at the private sector, there is certainly domestic and international and then there is the diaspora, which also includes African-American.

“We have various ways of trying to do this bond. There have various experiences in Nigeria and in Kenya and it has been sort of overwhelming in terms of the amount of resources we have to mobilize.

“Though India and Israel have done very well, so it sounds to us that we need to be a little more innovative than we have been before,” he said.

Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) Yofi Grant said the government is looking at global experiences in drafting diaspora policy.

“Formulating a diaspora policy includes quite a number of things, but we are also taking examples globally.

“There are many examples from Israel, China even the United States, Philippines, and Indonesia.

“There are many countries that offer different propositions, and we want to get the best but it must be mutually beneficial, culturally beneficial and it must be transformational for us,” he said.