Accra, Feb 16, GNA - Vice President John Dramani Mahama on Wednesday attributed the high rental rates of hotel rooms in the major cities of the country to inadequate decent accommodation facilities. "Most of our four-star hotels charge beyond $200.00 a night which is quite expensive and I believe if there are a lot more hotels in the country= , owners will be compelled to reduce their rates to the barest minimum", he added Vice President Mahama said this when a Chinese trade delegation called o= n him at the Castle, Osu.

The delegation mostly from Sanlin in China is in the country to explore investment opportunities in the areas of Real Estate Development, manufacturing of aircraft parts, Mining, Oil and Gas and the hotel industry= .. The Vice President said the Ghanaian economy was improving steadily and coupled with good governance, the country could grow faster than expected i= n the next few years. "The World Bank is estimating that Ghana's economy will grow by 13.5= per cent at the end of this year and an average of 10 per cent per annum, which is very encouraging for trade and commerce."

Mr Li Bo Lin, Chairman of the Group said they would work hard to gain a contract to establish a second Refinery in Takoradi.

He said Ghana was a peaceful country where businesses could flourish to create more jobs and the delegation would take every advantage to gain investment opportunities in the country.

Mr. Ade Coker, a businessman who led the delegation to the Castle said the Ghanaian business community had already signed a memorandum of understanding with the Chinese team to build a Hotel and a Shopping Mall at Sakumono to cater for the needs of the people in the area. He said they had also visited the offices of the Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Ghana National Petroleum Corporation and all other relevant areas. 1