According to him, the diaspora community plays a pivotal role in the economic development of Ghana.
Read the full story originally published on June 24, 2021 by Business24.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has asked Ghanaian indigenes from the Diaspora to take advantage of the myriad investment opportunities inherent in Ghana in order to shore up economic growth.
According to the President, the diaspora community plays a pivotal role in the economic development of the home country especially in the “peripheral economies”.
“They also promote trade and foreign direct investments, spur entrepreneurship and transfer knowledge and skills,” the President said when he opened the maiden two-day Ghana Diaspora Investment Summit in Accra.
He also stated that the ‘Beyond the Return’campaign which has already been launched is expected to usher in a decade of Africa renaissance in the face of global pandemic.
To sustain the initiative, a Diaspora desk at the GIPC has been set, and to explore partnerships and investments, he noted.
The CEO for GIPC, Yofi Grant, indicated that “Ghana should as a way of augmenting its development plan, tap into Diaspora bonds”.
He also added that to foster growth, the country should now, more than ever explore partnerships with the Diaspora, given that the economy is moving away from a raw export to a value-addition driven economy.
The Ambassador for the Diaspora Africa Forum at the AU, Dr.Erieka Bennet, stated that government have now come to understand that, “to move Africa forward, we have to include the Diaspora”.
She also maintained the country has several offerings for persons in the Diaspora willing to do business.
The two-day summit is expected to engender a more constructive interaction with Africans in the diaspora and all people of Africa descent in areas such as trade and investment.
It is under the theme “The New Normal, leveraging Diaspora Investments to build back better” will create an avenue to foster partnerships between local Diaspora investors, and showcase Ghana as a choice destination for doing business, to sour the inflow of Diaspora Direct Investments.
The Summit is being held under the auspices of President Akufo-Addo, Ghana Investment Promotion Centre and supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ministry of Information, the Diaspora Affairs Office at the Office of the President, Diaspora Africa Forum and Beyond the Return Secretariat under the Ghana Tourism Authority.
President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo