Sunyani, Oct. 23, GNA - The Brong-Ahafo Regional Trade Fair dubbed "Dwa Kese 2009" to showcase the economic potentials and investment opportunities of the region has opened in Sunyani.

The week-long exhibition is expected to attract buyers and potential investors from all walks of life and is part of the golden jubilee celebration of the creation of Brong-Ahafo Region. The exhibitors include private business concerns, corporate organisations, artisans, tradesmen and industrial organisations in the region.

The fair would also afford the Municipal and District assemblies in the region the opportunity to collaborate with traditional authorities to demonstrate investment prospects in their areas. Items on display at the Jubilee Park in Sunyani include traditional medicine, wood and pottery products, traditional clothes, jewellery, educational materials, Information Communication Technology (ICT) products and financial services companies.

Before its creation on April 4, 1959, Brong-Ahafo Region, then known as Western Ashanti, was politically and administratively part of Ashanti Region.

The region has great potential for investment, which include agriculture, mining, industries (cottage and agro-processing), tourism and others.

Mr. Kwadwo Nyamekye Marfo, the Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister, said the region was naturally endowed with resources but the major problem was how to exploit them for the greater benefit of the people. He expressed optimism that the fair would provide the avenue for people to invest in the region to create job opportunities for especially the unemployed youth as a means of checking their irregular migration to seek greener pastures abroad.

The regional minister urged both local and foreign investors to take advantage of the vast lands available "to do business" in the region.

Mr. John Gyetuah, the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, said government was placing more emphasis on developing the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). These are leading contributors of employment in most regions in the country and contributing eight per cent of the country's gross domestic product, as part of efforts aimed at harnessing foreign investment in the region. He said in order to achieve this vision for the private sector the government, through the Ministry of Trade and Industry, had placed priority on the implementation of policies designed to build the capacity of MSMEs nation-wide.

Under the Ghana Private Sector Development Fund, supported by the government of Italy, a minimum credit facility of 20 million Euro is available for Ghanaian enterprises that wish to procure equipment and services from Italian suppliers. The deputy minister said "this can easily be used to acquire technology for agro-processing, a field that Italy is quite competitive". Mr. Gyetuah said 4.5 million dollars was being disbursed to industry as matching grants to procure the services of technical and management experts through a Business Development Service (BDS) Fund established under the micro, small and medium enterprises project of the ministry. He said work on the strengthening of the National Board for Small Scale Industries to better coordinate and deliver government support for MSMEs had also begun. The Act that established the Export Development and Investment Fund was already under review to ensure that it contributes more significantly to expanding access to finance.

The other areas of support are the upgrading of laboratories of selected standards and regulatory institutions to ensure standards and formulation of a National Quality Policy. The government under the rural enterprise project is establishing 18 rural technology facilities country wide to support the transfer of appropriate technology to farmers, agro processors metal based artisans and micro and small entrepreneurs and the training of the unemployed youth as apprentices in viable artisanal trades. He gave the assurance that the government would continue to do its best to provide a good macroeconomic environment, reliable infrastructure as well as a peaceful and stable political atmosphere that would ensure that businesses thrive in the region.

Nana Yaw Kabrese II, Chief of Yeji and Vice-President of Brong-Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs, pledged the support of traditional authorities in releasing land to both local and foreign investors and urged chiefs to ensure that land earmarked for development purposes were safeguarded. 23 Oct 09