Ho, July 11, GNA- Mr Kofi Dzamesi, the Volta Regional Minister, on Wednesday commissioned the Volta Region Zonal Office of the Ghana Export Promotion Council (GEPC), to promote the export of non-traditional products in the Region. He said the establishment of the Office was as a dream come true and called on businessmen and women in the Region to take advantage of the facility to improve their work towards the development of the Region.

The Minster observed that the Region abound a wide range of exportable agriculture, craft and textile products, and expressed the hope that the Office would serve as a catalyst to increase production of such products to reduce poverty in the Region. He also said the GEPC office was expected to assist in the production of non-traditional products such as local alcohol, akpeteshie and ethanol for the manufacturing of cosmetics and medicines, saying, cassava was being cultivated for export.

Mr. Dzamesi also announced that plans were far advanced for the establishment of a garment factory in the Region and asked the people to visit the Office regularly to be abreast with its operations. He urged staff of the Office to assist the people and cautioned that he would not hesitate to sack any staff that would be found misbehaving.

Mr. Kwadwo Affram Asiedu, Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry, Private Sector Development and Presidential Special Initiative, expressed worry about the country's inability to meet the large export orders received for various exports products due to supply constraints. " Low production capacity, poor infrastructure and inadequate financial support for the private sector, as well as weak export managerial capacity continue to the plague of the sector", he said. Mr. Asiedu, therefore, said the country would be expected to remove constraints in the export sector, especially in non-traditional subdivision.

He said government was aware of challenges posed by financing enterprises and gave the assurance that measures were being taken to improve the export sector, including the establishment of the Export Development and Investment Fund.

Mr. Asiedu urged all enterprises in the sector to keep proper financial records to enable them to access financial support from the Fund towards the expansion of their operations to create more jobs. Mr. Collins Boateng, Executive Secretary of the GEPC, advised people who needed assistance from the Council to approach staff of the Zonal office before contacting the Head office in Accra. He said the Office would work in collaboration with the Regional Branch of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to improve the production and marketing development component of the Council.