GIPC woos investors

The Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) has officially launched the 2012 Africa Investment Forum.

The forum under the theme ‘Partnering with ECOWAS to Accelerate Investment into the sub-region’ is organised in collaboration with the Commonwealth Business Council (CBC) and the ECOWAS Commission, and is scheduled from the 3rd-4th April 2012 at the Accra International Conference Centre.

Over 600 business leaders from the sub-region and the Commonwealth are expected to attend the forum targetted at harnessing and facilitating economic development and creating an enabling business environment for investors in the West African region.

Mr. George Aboagye, Chief Executive Officer of the GIPC, told journalists that the country’s growth rate is a testament to the its solid economic fundamentals which are on offer to investors .

“With a robust commodities sector and a stable political environment, along with a dynamic financial industry and an improving fiscal record, our country has enormous potential to offer investors interested in Africa,” he said.

“Furthermore, with the increasing volatility of the Western markets, Africa is now increasingly becoming a preferred investment destination of choice. What is more inspiring is the progress made towards regional integration to create larger markets, enhanced competitiveness and improving infrastructure.”

Mr. Aboagye explained that the forum will provide an unprecedented opportunity for senior policy-makers, corporate executives, investors and investment promotion agencies to meet and interact through a series of sessions, networking and social exchanges.

“There will be four plenary sessions on regional trade, public private partnership, agribusiness and food security, Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) and micro-financing.

“There will be nine business roundtable engagements on finance, natural resources, energy, tourism, private equity, manufacturing, telecom and transportation. The forum will also provide an opportunity for one-on-one business meetings to discuss issues of mutual interest.

“Particular emphasis will be placed on the new opportunities for investors in the West African region and how these can be harnessed to facilitate economic development,” he said.

Mr. Aboagye added: “The event comes in the wake of Africa’s transformed image as a preferred destination for investment and the soaring number of Emerging Market Funds with African interests.


He revealed that the Centre will also team up with the Oxford Business Group (OBG) for the second consecutive year for its forthcoming publication, Ghana Report 2012.

“The GIPC is the government agency in the country tasked with encouraging, promoting and facilitating investment into the country.

“The key role that the country’s rapidly-expanding service sector is expected to play in driving economic growth will be mapped out in a new report to be published by the OBG.”

He indicated that the Report will additionally chart the contribution that oil production and commodity wealth made to the country’s double-digit growth rates achieved in 2011. It will also contain a detailed sector-by-sector guide for foreign investors, alongside a contribution from President Atta Mills and interviews with prominent political, economic and business leaders.

The Country Director of the OBG, Ms. Polina Virr, explained: “The Ghana Report 2012 will disseminate information on all sectors of the Ghanaian economy to the whole world.”