Let’s create larger common market for West Africa
West African leaders should introduce more policies and implement existing ones to create a larger common market for the region.
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A delegate of the German Industry and Commerce in Ghana (AHK Ghana), Mr Patrick Martens, who made the call in an interview, said as a chamber promoting free trade, it came across so many companies shying away or pulling out of the West African market due to the many fragments and impediments to the free movement of people and goods.
The AHK also promotes bilateral trade while some companies have cut short their participation in the fair for lack of a bigger market in the West African sub-region, a few others have kept faith with the exhibitions and have continued from the first to the fifth.
However, to encourage more companies to use Ghana as a hub and prospect for markets in West Africa, Mr Martens said it was important for the political leaders in the sub-region to quicken the pace of regional integration and enforce protocols that had already been signed.
“In our German Pavilion, which we were lucky to have, we’ve certain companies that are not participating anymore because for them the market size is a challenge. This shows that there should be more policies with the aim of unifying the markets here in the region,” he stated.
He said efforts to unify the markets within the region to be more attractive, as was being considered, must be given all the attention.
WACEE institutionalised
Mr Martens was shedding light on the upcoming exhibition and conferences on clean energy, water and environment, which is slated for September 13-15, 2016. “WACEE is coming back and we are glad that this event has now been institutionalised.”
The fifth West African Clean Energy and Environment Exhibition and Conference 2016, to be held at the Accra International Conference Centre, already has 40 confirmed exhibitors, with specialised German and Dutch Pavilions. The unique exhibition will showcase solutions in renewable energy, water treatment and environment.
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Mr Martens explained that while the German Pavilion would showcase companies with solutions in renewable energy, the Dutch Pavilion would showcase solutions in water treatment and environment.
There are also several Ghanaian company exhibitors, but the AHK stressed they were carefully selected well-formalised companies which understood the international business environment and serious companies which honoured their pledges and contracts.
Conferences
A three-day packed conference would run simultaneously along with the exhibition. The German technical cooperation (GIZ), Zoomlion and the Renewable Energy Association of Ghana (REAG) are some of the partners of the conferences for which experts have been assembled from Germany and Ghana for presentations.
Sub-themes include; “Linking policy and practice – realising solutions for energy security, waste and the environment”, “Challenges and Opportunities of Recycling End of Life vehicles” and “Nurturing innovative solutions for inclusive businesses at the Base of the Pyramid”.
The three-day event is expected to attract an average of 1,500 visitors.