Wa, Sept 30, GNA - Mr Masamichi Ishikawa, the Japanese Ambassador in Ghana, has said Ghana had the potential of growing into a modern industrial nation if it continued with good governance and effective economic policies.

"Ghana is comparatively calm, democratic and investor friendly and only needs to cement its relationship with other development partners to achieve the best of its development." Mr Ishikawa said this at Wa when he paid a courtesy call on Mr Ambrose Dery, Upper West Regional Minister, as part of his one-day tour of the region.

He said Ghana could attract investors by embarking on more investor friendly projects with good economic management and women empowerment projects.

"It is not possible to develop every area of a country at the same time but eventually they will all get some developments to talk of as time moves on"

The Ambassador gave the assurance that the Japanese government would continue to play its supporting role and called on the government to see the empowerment of women as one of the most effective ways of achieving economic independence.

"When Japan and the Republic of Korea embarked on industrialization many people least expected them to go this far but due to dedication and commitment they have been able to reach this far which I believe Ghana can also do."

Mr Dery said women e mpowerment, road development and construction of dams for farming were high on the region's development agenda and appealed to the Japanese government to assist. He said although most of the women were engaged in shea butter production lack of market avenues for the produce was a stumbling block and that a better way was to site an industry that would use shea butter as its raw material.