Freetown, capital of Sierra Leone, would host the first Ghana-Sierra Leone week slated for 17-24 October 2002.

The event would seek to promote trade, economic and cultural cooperation between the two West African countries.

Mr Saddique Boniface, Deputy Minister of Trade and Industries, said the event, which is the brainchild of Mr Kabrah Blay Amihere, Ghana's High Commissioner to Sierra Leone will target textile production, agro-processing and manufacturing.

He said the event is intended to be bi-annual and would rotate between the two countries.

"A technical Co-ordinating Committee has been established to plan a trade exhibition, cultural and sporting events as well as trade investment forum."

He said the collaborating institutions were the Ministry of Private Sector Development, Ministry of Economic Planning and Regional Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Finance.

The rest are the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Ghana Export Promotion Council (GEPC), Association of Building and Civil Contractors of Ghana (ABCCG), Minerals Commission and GRATIS.

He said 50 exhibitors would showcase Ghana's potential in textile, Aluminium products and food processing among others.

Mr Boniface said the forum would offer Ghanaian entrepreneurs the opportunity to sample the economic potential of Sierra Leone, a country that was trying to reconstruct its economy after a long and devastating civil war.