All set for northern Ghana investment conference
All is set for the third edition of the Northern Ghana Investment Conference (NGIC) slated for the Tamale Sports Stadium on August 13.
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The theme for this year’s edition is “Projecting the resource potential of Northern Ghana for accelerated development; the role of public-private partnership.”
The four-day event seeks to bring together the region’s most dominant corporate players in banking, insurance, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and other businesses, particularly small and medium-scale enterprises to network and plan.
Activities lined up for the four-day event include exhibition of products and services, an investment and entrepreneurial development seminar, a northern business executive breakfast meeting and a northern business excellence awards night.
Among speakers expected to address the four-day event are the Second Deputy Governor of Bank of Ghana, Dr Abdul Nashiru Issahaku; economist Dr Mahamudu Bawumia; and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Export Development, Agricultural and Industrial Fund (EDAIF), Dr Barfuor Osei.
Other speakers include the Executive Chairman of Wienco Ghana Limited, Mr Henri Wientjes; the Minister of Labour and Industrial Relations, Mr Haruna Iddrisu; the Minister of Road and Highways, Mr Inusah Fuseini; the Chairman of the Northern Development Forum (NDF), Dr Hakeem Weimah, and the Executive Marketing Director of the Agricultural Development Bank, Mr Sulley Adams.
The previous editions of the investment conference were organised in collaboration with the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA), Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, the Northern Regional Co-ordinating Council, the Northern Development Forum (NDF) and other industry players.
The annual conference serves as a catalyst to promote businesses and investment in northern Ghana.
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On the previous occasions, there were about 50 exhibitors and investors. This year, 30 more have shown interest in the upcoming event.
According to the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), less than 0. 1 per cent of foreign investors that come into the country invest in northern Ghana.
This does not only show the lack of attention on wealth creation in northern Ghana but also a failure to bridge the yawning development disparity between northern and southern Ghana.
It is against this backdrop that investment promoters, Ridmut Consults, have initiated the Northern Ghana Investment Conference.
In an interview, the Chief Executive Officer of Ridmut Consults, Mutawakil Riyad, said the four-day event aimed at improving the previous editions.
According to him, the investment and entrepreneurial development seminar would inspire young people to embrace innovation, imagination and creativity to overcome the challenges facing new entrepreneurs. It is expected that such businesses will see the need for courage, technical know-how and a friendly business environment to improve their activities.
“In the northern business breakfast meeting, business executives would be put into groups for discussions, with the expectation of networking and harnessing business-matching platforms for CEOs, senior management professionals, entrepreneurs and government officials to discuss current business trends and opportunities in northern Ghana.”
Mutawakil Riyad said the Northern Business Excellence Awards was initiated to honour organisations and individuals that demonstrate values with regard to business and product excellence, business sustainability and commercial success in their respective areas of operations.