The Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), in collaboration with the Commonwealth Business Council (CBC) and the ECOWAS Commission, will host the Africa Investment Forum from 3-4 April 2012 at the International Conference Centre in Accra.

The forum, which is under the theme, “Partnering with ECOWAS to accelerate investment into the region,” will be opened by President John Atta Mills.

Other dignitaries expected to attend the two-day event include some heads of state from the ECOWAS sub-region and commonwealth member countries, as well as investors from all over the world.

The forum will further provide an unprecedented opportunity to senior policy-makers, corporate executives, investors and investment promotion agencies to meet and interact through a series of sessions, networking and social exchanges.

The forum will entail four plenary sessions on regional trade, public private partnerships, agribusiness & food security and SME and micro financing.

Furthermore, there will be nine business roundtable engagements on finance, natural resources, energy, tourism, private equity, manufacturing, telecommunications and transportation in addition to one-on-one business meetings to discuss issues of mutual interest.

George Aboagye, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GIPC stated: “What is more inspiring is the progress made towards regional integration to create larger markets, enhanced competitiveness and the improvement of infrastructure. It is expected that the forum will foster partnerships with ECOWAS business executives to mobilise investments into the sub-region.”

Particular emphasis will be placed on the new opportunities for investors in the West African region and how these can be harnessed to facilitate economic development.

“The event comes off in the wake of Africa’s transformed image as a preferred destination for investment and the soaring number of emerging market funds with African interests. With the increasing volatility of western markets, Africa is now increasingly becoming a preferred investment destination of choice.”