Spain explores investment opportunities in W/R

A four-member delegation from Spain have met the business community and the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the Western Region to explore investment opportunities. The delegation is looking for investment opportunities in tourism and manufacturing while building a strong trade relationship with the Western Region and their home country, Spain. The meeting follows an earlier visit of the Western Region Minister, Kobby Othere Darko Mensah, and some MMDCEs to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, where they participated in the 1^st Spain-Ghana Tourism and Trade Forum. The meeting attracted heads of departments, representatives from the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Ghana Tourism Authority, the Ghana Export Promotion Agency, the Sekondi Takoradi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Association of Ghana Industries, among other business interests in the Region. There were presentations by the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly, the Effia Kwesimentsim Municipal Assembly, the Shama District Assembly and the Ahanta West Municipal Assembly on the investment opportunities, which included land availability, stable power supply, favourable land tenure system and tourism sites. Western Region Minister Kobby Othere Darko Mensah touted the Region as the best investment destination in the country and assured the delegation that there are good initiatives in place to safeguard any investment. “We have large tracts of arable land some of which are very close to the main road. Again, you can acquire land of any acreage without any hassle. There is stable power supply. We have a strong human resource base. The security of the region is also good. I mean, from Takoradi to the national capital is only 25 minutes by air. So, I can say without any hesitation that the Western Region offers the best investment climate in the country.” In an interview with 3news.com after the meeting, Mr. Othere Darko Mensah described the meeting as highly successful and said the delegation “was largely impressed with the investment opportunities that the region has to offer”. “From here, we will have a development platform for the Western Region and Spain. This platform will serve as a link to the investment community in Spain. It will also serve as a connector with the Spanish government to help with development issues in the Western Region.” He stated that some strategic private sector partners have been involved in the discussion “to also identify other investment opportunities in the region that the Western Region Coordinating Council is yet to identify”. “What we have done is to also involve the private sector. They are actually the people moving the region. So, we need to give them the connections and networks to be able to be more productive. Our responsibility as government is to make sure that the private sector succeeds and when they do the nation also succeeds.” Mr. Otchere Darko Mensah said “this discussion is a government to government one and will take time. But I believe that by early next year we should see some deliverables from this arrangement”. Leader of the delegation and Director of the Canary Consulting and Trading Isidoro López also assured the regional minister that his country is well positioned to work with the Coordinating Council and other business interests to tap into the numerous investment opportunities that the region offers. By Eric Yaw Adjei|3news.com|Ghana]]>