THE Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Ghana, (AHK Ghana) has expressed tremendous confidence in the Ghanaian economy and urged private sector firms, especially those in the agro-processing industry to take advantage of the sound, enabling environment to scale up their businesses.
“Ghana is a growing market, Ghana is stable, peaceful and predictable,” Dr. Michael Blank of AHK Ghana told captains of industry, agro-processors and international market leaders in food and packaging technology among others at the 6th International Agrofood Trade Show on Tuesday in Accra.
The three-day programme and conferences are under the aegis of Fairtrade and AHK Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Ghana.
According to Dr Blank, stability, peace and predictability “are what matters most for big and medium-sized companies alike.”
Dr Blank noted that he had personally observed a growing interest of German companies in the Ghanaian market, stating, “being the Delegate of German Industry and Commerce in Ghana for over a year now, I’ve been watching a growing interest of German companies in the Ghanaian market.
According to him, investor interest cut across many different sectors as such as Construction, Healthcare, car manufacturing, where VW will set up its first assembling factory in the first quarter of 2020, and “yes, of course, food processing.”
Touching on the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, the Delegate said he was impressed Ghana was pushing ahead with the implementation of the AfCFTA, “which promises to become the biggest market worldwide once it has been introduced.”
He charged investors and businesses siting on the fence to watch closely, noting “now is the time to act; if borders are falling down, if tariffs and trade barriers are being removed, this might be a turning point for private businesses as well; let’s see, how the Heads of African States manage this challenge and seize the opportunity.”
“One thing is sure though: Ghana, in this particular context, has been and will be one of the driving forces,” Dr Blank concluded.
Ghana to remain an economic power
Head of Competence Centre, Private Sector Development and Projects at AHK Ghana, Ms. Stefanie Simon also alluded to Ghana’s economic prowess, saying, “ Ghana is famous in the sub-region for its stability for its economic power and it will continue to do so, even for the food processing industry which has well established companies.”
She noted that there were new startups and firms which were increasingly coming up with new ideas and new approaches.
Managing Director of Fairtrade, Mr Paul Marz disclosed that his outfit had established an interactive portal for the event that would allow exhibitors and visitors to communicate before, during and after the event.