The call by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on members of the Black business community in the United States of America (USA) to take advantage of the numerous opportunities in Ghana to invest in the country is one of the leading stories in the Ghanaian press on Friday.
The Graphic reports that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has urged members of the Black business community in the United States of America (USA) to take advantage of the numerous opportunities in Ghana to invest in the country.
“It is a great time to invest in Ghana, for the opportunities are bright,” he told the US Black business community.
He said the prospects were brighter, especially as Ghana sought to build back strongly from the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
President Akufo-Addo made the call last Wednesday when he delivered the keynote address at the “Africa Flagship Programme” session of the 45th Annual Legislative Conference of the National
Black Caucus of State Legislators being held in Atlanta, Georgia.
The event was monitored from Accra.
According to the President, in spite of the very real difficulties posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Ghana was doing some things right and sending out the right signals to the global investor community.
President Akufo-Addo noted that in 2020, Ghana recorded foreign direct investment (FDI) of $2.65 billion from 279 projects.
For 2021 alone, the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) had recorded FDIs of $973.38 million from 173 projects in the first three quarters of the year, with large ticket projects in the pipeline to boost FDI flows by the close of the year, he said.
The newspaper says that the Chamber of Agribusiness, Ghana (CAG), has called for more investments in agriculture to help ensure food self-sufficiency.
It said the country was yet to address the budget constraints to the sector, something which did not augur well.
“Government needs to remove the one per cent tax on agribusiness profits to give more allowances to the industry to turn around the challenges that have been brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic,” the Chief Executive Officer of the CAG, Mr Anthony Morrison, said in an interview ahead of the 37th National Farmers Day (NFD) celebrations.
The theme for this year’s edition of the NFD is: “Planting for Food and Jobs – Consolidating Food Systems in Ghana.” Sharing his thoughts on the theme, he said there was actually nothing to be consolidated because there was a reversal of the gains made under the PFJ.
“Per what we are experiencing now, food prices have gone up though most people seem not to realise till after Christmas. So, for the theme I don’t think it is in line with what we are experiencing now,” he said.
Outlining some measures to be taken by the government to improve the agric sector, the chamber also reiterated its call for the creation of ‘Ghana Agriculture Emergency and Disaster Fund’ by government to support farmers and processors so they can undertake sustainable production and supply to ensure food security.
Mr Morrison said such a fund would help the nation store enough food to augment any shortages in case of a disaster and also help to mitigate some of the financing challenges.
The Ghanaian Times says that the Ministry of Railways Development has started work on the new standard gauge line from Manso to Huni-Valley, spanning a distance of 78 kilometres under the Western Rail Line.
The project was being undertaken under a loan facility of €500 million, however,€68 million has been extended to the contractor as mobilisation money to move to site.
The commencement of the project was made known by John Peter Amewu, the Minister of Railways Development, when he took his turn to address the media in Accra yesterday under the auspices of the ministry of Information Meet the Press” series.
The Minister also used the platform to address development in the railway sector.
He said the Western Railway Line from Takoradi to Kumasi was a major route for transportation of minerals and other bulk commodities such as manganese and bauxite.
Mr Amewu said in order to build capacity for maintenance and sustainability of the sector, the Ministry in collaboration with the Ghana Railway Company Limited, has partnered the George Grant of Mines and Technology to upgrade the old Railway Training Institute located at Sekondi into a degree awarding institute to provide training in engineering and other ancillary programmes.
He said additionally, the Railway Location Workshop Complex, also situated at Sekondi, has been upgraded and equipped for it to become a one stop workshop to serve the railway, mining, petroleum, and agricultural industries in the Western Region.
The newspaper says that the United States Ambassador to Ghana, Mrs Stephanie S Sullivan, on Tuesday launched a $45.5 million five-year project to improve Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) in Northern Ghana.
The WASH project would be operated in the Upper East, Upper West, North-East, Northern, Savannah and Oti regions.
Launching the project, Mrs Sullivan said the U.S. Government, through United States Agency for International Development (USAID), will work in collaboration with the government to enhance governance and planning for WASH projects.
She indicated that the project would strengthen, sustainable financing, improve private sector engagement, and accelerate the adoption of healthy hygiene practices.
Mrs Sullivan reiterated the US government’s commitment to supporting Ghana to achieve UN Sustainable Development Goal Six which is to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030..
“Together we will continue to support individuals, communities, districts, and regions to achieve universal access to clean water and basic sanitation and hygiene services,” Mrs Sullivan stated.
She explained that this is an essential action during the COVID-19 pandemic, and beyond, to improve the health of Ghanaians and their economy
She mentioned that this new initiative which main aims is to provide 300,000 people with access to basic sanitation services and provide 250,000 people with access to basic drinking water services over the next five years.
GIK/APA