A trade delegation from the West African nation Ghana held a Trade Summit, a first of its kind for a city like Madurai which witnessed the top bureaucrats from Ghana explaining why the country is the most conducive place to do business. Two Memorandums of Understanding were also signed during the summit.
Presiding over the event, High Commissioner of Ghana to India Kwaku Asomah Cheremeh said that Ghana is one of the most peaceful countries in West Africa with a stable government and electoral transparency and accountability. The World Bank in 2019 ranked the country as the best place for doing business, he said. The country has a vibrant business environment and has got huge potential in sectors like manufacturing, digital technology, hydrocarbons, and industrial minerals like gold, lithium and manganese and Ghana is the best place for tourism.
Besides, the country is growing very fast in agriculture and agro-processing, financial and telecommunication services. Further, the country is inviting investments in hospital services, research and development, infrastructure, oil refineries and home-based airlines development. Under the African Continent Free Trade Agreement, the industrialists will have an opportunity to expand their business across the continent as well, he said. He urged Indian companies, especially the ones from Madurai to explore their scope in Ghana.
Minister Counsellor High Commission of Ghana Adjei Ernest Nana added that the country’s 'one district one factory' is an attractive offer for the industrialists exploring their opportunities in Ghana. In addition to having the Africa Continent Free Trade Agreement to expand their business, the Indian industrialists manufacturing within Ghana will have a tax holiday of ten years and they can import machinery to Ghana free of import duty. He said that tourism could be one of the best areas for Madurai and Ghana to work together.
Head of Branch Secretariat, Ministry of External Affairs and Protector of Emigrants M Venkatachalam said that Africa and India are going to be the driving forces of the future. India – Africa trade volume is worth the 70 billion dollars and growing, he said.
Madurai Collector Dr Aneesh Sekhar who addressed the summit said that Madurai is the hub of many industries including manufacturing, automobiles, IT and food processing. Of late, the city is emerging as the hub of medical tourism with many leading hospitals. Besides, the city is a tourism hub, especially for spiritual and heritage tourism. The city is ready to work with Ghana on many fronts, he said.
Trade Commissioner of IATC – Ghana Arunraja Periasamy who hails from Madurai’s Melur was instrumental in conducting the summit in Madurai. Indian industrialists in Ghana James Rajamani and Asif Iqbal explained to the gathering what it means to do business in Ghana. Jiovio Healthcare and Rio Children Hospital, two Madurai-based health care providers signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Ghanaian officials during the summit.
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