The North is now a safe haven for investment - Akpeena

Mr Philip Assibit Akpeena, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Discovery Group of Companies (DGC), has described the north as a safe haven for business investment, which would alleviate the plight of the people.

He said, “A gloomy picture is always painted out there about business stability in the north due to pockets of conflicts in the past. Our actions and inactions called for such a picture but the situation here is now the opposite”.

Mr Akpeena, who is also the Managing Consultant of the Management Development and Productivity Institute (MDPI), said this in Tamale on Monday at the maiden edition of “Miss Discovery”, a beauty pageant to reward holiday makers who thronged the Discovery Hotel to make merry after the end of Ramadan.

Eight elegant ladies contested voluntarily, which Ms Alhassan Awula was crowned Miss Discovery and took away a motorbike worth GH¢1800. The first runner-up, Miss Rabi Mohammed went away with GH¢300 cash and second runner-up Miss Nancy Ayaba received GH¢200. The rest got GH¢50 for participation.

Mr. Akpeena said it was important for the northern elite, who had the means to show the way by investing in the north, to attract foreign investors to improve the northern economy.

He said, “When our people are fully employment, conflicts will naturally become a thing of the past” and appealed to government to show the political will and direct more investors to the north.

He said the north had all the potential to become the food basket of the country due to its vast lands for maize, rice, sorghum, sugar cane, groundnuts and other crops cultivation but what was needed was support for farmers.

He said the upgrading of the Tamale Airport into a second international airport for the country should not remain a lip service but an incentive that would propel the north to a competing arena for businesses.

“These peace initiatives in the north have not helped enough in terms of conflict resolution but a comprehensive frame work aimed at scattering businesses across the north is likely to solve conflicts naturally”, he said.

He said Discovery Group would continue to identify the potentials of the people of the north and offer the necessary assistance for them as means of contributing its quota towards poverty alleviation and conflict resolution