Accra, May 3, GNA - Canadian drilling tool manufacturers, Fordia has strengthened its presence in Africa, with the inauguration of its first office in Ghana, as a hub to handle its West African operations.

The office, which started operations about two weeks ago, will cover the company's operations in Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Senegal and Guinea.

Speaking at the official ceremony to open the office in Obuasi, Ashanti Region, A0Mr Yaw Kwegyir-Aggrey, Regional Manager of Fordia assured existing and prospective customers of the company's prompt and efficient services in terms of placement and delivery of orders and offering of most appropriate, customised and timely technical support and advice. Mr Andre Derguy, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Fordia

Global, was full of praise for the Regional Manager, saying he had an

excellent understanding of the African market, having worked for many

years in the mineral exploration sector.

The assets in Ghana are important for the development as= well as

growth of the African subsidiary and we are confident that he is the man fo= r

the job and he will have the complementary teams on-site in each country to

support and ensure smooth operations of the respective country business.

This first office in Africa represents an excellent oppo= rtunity for

Fordia against the understanding that Africa is a vast continent with

extraordinary mineral potential and a promising future. =A0=A0=A0=A0 93Thus, with Ghana's position as one of the world's larg= est gold

producers and coupled with the fact that its exploration spending is stable; its wealth in terms of raw materials 96 gold, diamonds and manganese ore are making this country a prime destination for mineral exploration to justify

Fordia selection as its hub for the growth of its businesses in the subregion," Mr Derguy said. Mr Alexander Ackon, Obuasi Municipal Chief Executive, who chaired

the occasion intimated that he was personally excited that Fordia chose to

site its regional offices in Obuasi to service its West African operations. He said Fordia made the right choice since with the on-going-zip-code

address system project, Obuasi will soon be plotted on the Global

Positioning System. Ms Trudy Kernighan, Canadian High Commissioner said Fordia was

one of the renowned companies in Canada that offered drilling solutions in

the mineral exploration and geotechnical industries. She commended Fordia on its bold decision to select Ghana as the hub

for its operations in the West African sub-region. Ms Kernighan pledged the High Commission's support to= Fordia West

Africa to grow and to serve not only the sub-region but as a point for

market penetration into other sub-regions in Africa. 3 May 11