Accra, April 24, GNA - Ambassador James Victor Gbeho, President of the Economic Community of West African State (ECOWAS) Commission, is to open a three-day West African Business Development Workshop and Exhibition to be held from May 31 to June 1, this year. The workshop is aimed at promoting market development practices for Small Medium Enterprises to expand their operations in a more integrated market in West African.

The theme for the event is: 93Expanding your Business in West Africa: A Strategic Approach".

The event would be supported by the Office of the Vice President and under the auspices of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, in collaboration with the ECOWAS Commission, the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre.

These are contained in a statement issued by Amanda Amuaben, the Event Coordinator, copied to the GNA in Accra on Saturday. It said the event would offer information on opportunities and regulations regarding investments in key business areas, in Ghana and other West African countries. The statement said the workshop is in response to consistent calls on ECOWAS to ensure a more intra-regional trade and 93the move from an ECOWAS of States to an ECOWAS of people." It said the event would cover trade tariffs and customs duties at entry points, transportation, logistics and insurance in the West Africa Sub-Region.

The statement said 93the event is an opportunity for local businesses in Ghana to meet prospective partners and clients from other West African countries". It mentioned Ms. Hannah Tetteh, Minister of Trade and Industry, Dorothy Gordon, Director General of Ghana Indian Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence, Mr. Asare Akuffo, President of Private Enterprise Foundation and MD of HFC Bank, Alhaji Muhammad Mumuni, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, and Major General Carl Modey, Commissioner of Customs Excise and Preventive Services, as some of the key speakers.