Ya-Na calls for collaboration with Turkiye to benefit from business opportunities

The Overlord of Dagbon, Ya-Na Abukari II, has called on the government to collaborate with the city of Bursa in Turkiye to benefit from its $25 billion production sector. 

He said Ghana could feed most of Bursa's vibrant production companies with raw materials at competitive prices, and therefore, called for collaboration between the two countries for their mutual benefit.

The Ya-Na was speaking during a meeting with the leadership of the Bursa Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the Chamber's Headquarters in the city of Bursa in Turkiye as part of his 10-day visit to Turkiye.

The Bursa Chamber of Commerce and Industry is located in the ancient capital of the Ottoman Empire. The city which was established in 1889, currently has a $25 billion annual export production capacity.

It is an industrial hub of Turkiye with a vibrant network of companies exporting to over many countries. 
     

Opportunities

The Ya-Na entreated members of the chamber to consider Ghana as an important partner and a source of raw materials for investment. He said Ghana was a preferred destination for investment in Africa, citing the country's stable democracy, free press and independent judiciary as some of its advantages.

The Overlord said aside from Ghana's traditional export commodities, the country had launched a $60 billion petrochemicals industry with investment opportunities in a refinery, storage tanks, port infrastructure and jetties.

He also said that Turkish companies could have access to cashews, soya beans, shea butter, shea nuts and sesame from Ghana for production. The Ya-Na further said that northern Ghana was blessed with arable land with the potential to develop about 540,000 hectares of irrigable land for agricultural production.

The Ya-Na told the chamber that being a farmer himself all his life, he knew that Ghana could help Bursa's companies with raw materials for their mutual benefit if the two countries worked together.

He added that northern Ghana had 11 dam sites suitable for hydropower production, with the capacity to generate about 550MW of power, adding that “Turkish investors must consider Ghana an important partner for trade and investment”. 
     

Appreciation

The Vice-President of the Chamber, Cuneyt Sener, expressed appreciation to the Ya-Na for the visit, describing it as a landmark since the inception of the chamber over 130 years ago.

He said the chamber was a strong player in automobile, textiles, manufacturing and agricultural sectors. Mr Sener described Ghana as a productive country with vast potential for business growth and pledged the commitment of his outfit to send a trade and investment delegation to Ghana soon to assess the advantages and opportunities in the country.

He further commended the Ya-Na for his ideas on agricultural transformation in Ghana and entreated him to prepare a comprehensible investment factsheet for analysis and sharing among the members of the chamber.

The Ya-Na was accompanied by his Foreign Relations Advisor, Dalun Lana Tapha Mahamadu III, and some staff of the Gbewah Palace