Iran ready to invest in Ghana

ACCRA, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Seth Adjei-Baah, First Vice Chairman of Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI) on Wednesday said the nation's resources, fledging democracy and dynamic economy had made it Africa's best destination for investment.

"Gaining the world's confidence with a peaceful political transition and a firm commitment to democracy has accelerated Ghana's growth in Foreign Direct Investment in recent years," he said.

Adjei-Baah made the observation when addressing a 25-member Iranian delegation in Accra on Wednesday to deliberate on collaboration in trade and investment for their mutual benefit.

The meeting jointly organised by Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) and GNCCI also served as a platform for Ghana's local entrepreneurs to interact with the delegation.

He said the nation had attracted the attention of well-known international businesses to invest in all sectors of the economy.

"All these investors have come to Ghana because they know we have a congenial social, political and economic environment to invest successfully," he said.

Adjei-Baah who is also Member of Parliament for Nkawkaw said Ghana had a solid tradition of investment opportunities in agriculture, agro-processing, financial services and telecommunications.

Others are manufacturing, information communication technology, tourism, mining and the recent oil find.

Adjei-Baah noted that trade between the two countries increased from one million U.S. dollars in 2005 to 12.9 million dollars in 2008.

Mohammed Reza Babaei, Deputy General Governor of Iran assured government of the commitment of his country to invest in agriculture and industry.

He said negotiations between Ghana and Iran to organise a trade fair was underway for the two countries to ascertain their needs to help facilitate development.

Babaei said Iran would use her technical skills to help Ghana in packaging and adding value to raw materials.