Middle Belt Development Authority to hold Investment summit in June 2020
The Chief Executive Officer of the Middle Belt Development Authority, Joe Danquah has announced that the Authority will hold an investment summit in June this year.
The investment summit will seek to showcase investment potentials within the Middle Belt Development Zone comprising Ashanti, Eastern, Bono, Bono East and Ahafo regions representing a total 109 constituencies.
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Speaking on the sidelines of the national celebration of Ghana’s 63rd Independence Anniversary on March 6, 2020 at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi where he had joined President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo; the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II; ministers of state, members of parliament, traditional authorities, and people from all walks of life, Mr. Joe Danquah said the Zone has enormous investment potentials hence the need to showcase them to get investors’ attention.
He enumerated a number of investment potentials within the Zone ranging from agricultural, mining, tourism, automobile and technological engineering.
On agriculture, he said the Zone has the most serene condition for meaningful and economically viable agricultural engagement.
The Zone, he said, has deposits of minerals conducive for both large and small-scale mining which can be tapped by prospective investors for mutually beneficial economic gains.
The tourism potentials in the Zone are also enormous, he said, pointing out that the movie industry with its immense potentials, needs to be enhanced. He said there is an urgent need to establish a film village to cater for players in the movie industry which has practically most household names in in the Zone.
He said from Kumawood, the Agya Koo's and the Koo Nimos are all from the Zone and as such there is a need to develop the movie industry to create jobs for the people.
Mr. Joe Danquah also pointed to the huge potential of craft villages and the opportunity to offer jobs particularly for the youth, adding that the use of cane, bamboo and others for various crafts offer the people great alternatives to channel their energies positively and to contribute to national development.
“Over the years our famous Kente as particularly woven in the Middle Belt Zone has largely been on subsistence basis. This needs to be transformed via the creation of for instance, a Kente Village to train and enable massive participation of the youth for economic gains. A Kentefest will be outdoored in partnership with the private sector to make it a quarterly, bi-annually or an annual event to promote culture and tourism”, he said.
He further hinted at the enhancement of the Kumasi Magazine along the lines of a modernised automobile technological village to train the youth in modern automobile engineering.
He said achieving all the lofty ideas require the support of all, particularly the help of the private sector, and invited potential investors to Ghana’s middle belt to join explore the potentials to make the dream a reality.
“My doors are opened to people who are ready to partner with us in all these areas”, he said, adding that enormous support packages await individuals and organisations that will pick up the challenge to partner the Authority.
“The government has already created the enabling environment and as an Authority we have the mandate to assist anyone who wants to come in to develop these areas. Our package includes assisting in land acquisition by liaising with the traditional authorities, assisting in electrification, licensing, roads accessibility thereby coordinating with the various ministries and departments and other state institutions to ensure rapid socio-economic growth of our people through private and public partnerships.”