A three-day orientation seminar on garment production for the United States and European markets opened in Accra on Tuesday, the first such programme since the launch of the President's Special Initiative (PSI) three months ago to promote the garment sector.

The Ghana Export Roundtable under the Export Action Programme of the PSI is organizing the seminar to acquaint the 150 participants with current market trends in the US and the EU, teach them how to prepare for exports, delivery and terms of payment.

Under the PSI at least 10 major large-scale strategic investors would be expected to relocate in Ghana and employ an estimated 70,000 people.

Western countries, including the US have opened up their textile and garment market to Africa to promote international trade.

The speakers, including Mr Kwamena Bartels, Minister of Private Sector Development, Mrs Cecilia Bannerman, Minister of Manpower Development and Employment and Mr Alfred Fawundu, UNDP Resident Representative, urged partners to play an effective role in bringing new investments in the production of garments and textiles.

Mr. Bartels said the private sector had become a very prominent factor in the economic management and the subject of private sector development had received a more determined push from the government.

"It was in this light that the President appointed a minister specifically responsible for private sector development whose duty is to take action to remove bureaucratic obstacles to entrepreneurship and free enterprise," he said.

"Since our economy has had a long track record of presenting promises and programmes that remain undelivered or uncompleted, a change in strategy and focus will be a welcome departure and initiative."

Mr Bartels said the industrial sector of which garment production was a subset contributed about 25.4 per cent to the gross domestic product.

He said the sluggish performance of the industrial and the manufacturing sectors had been due to poor macro economic situation as well as difficulties such as old and obsolete machinery, limited access to working capital and the impact of local taxation.