A 30-member delegation from the German Africa Association on Tuesday paid a courtesy call on President John Agyekum Kufuor at the Castle, Osu.

The weeklong visit was in response to an appeal made by President Kufuor at a meeting with the Association in Hamburg during a state visit June last year, to visit Ghana to explore the investment potentials in the country and undertake joint ventures with their Ghanaian counterparts.

The Association is for German companies and institutions with business interests in African countries.

President Kufuor said Ghana had cherished the cordial relationship between the two countries and expressed appreciation to the superiority of German technology and high discipline.

He said past and current German investors in Ghana, had a lot of advantages and the privilege to export their products not only to European markets but the United States of America (USA) under the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) that provided free duty and no quotas.

President Kufuor said the West African Sub-Region had a market for about 250 million people while the stability and high standard of the rule of law and order that prevailed in Ghana were also good for investment.

Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, Minister of Trade and Industry, said government was negotiating with a German firm to be established in Ghana to manufacture army uniforms, explore other markets and take advantage of the German technology, Ghanaian labour and the US market under the AGOA and Free Zones programme.

Mr Kwamena Bartels said a German company had taken over the Ghana Textiles Manufacturing Company (GTMC) in Tema and would begin production within the next three months.

He said plans were underway with a German company to refine gold for export as well as another company to provide boat services along the West African coast, adding; " the relationship between the private sector in Ghana and their German counterparts is growing into a potential force".

Mrs Bianca Buchmann, President of the Association and leader of the delegation, said the backbone of German's economic development had been the small and medium scale enterprises and said she was optimistic that with private sector involvement, Ghana could become the gateway to the West Africa Sub-Region.

She said the prevailing political stability in Ghana had convinced existing German companies to expand their operations and that the interactions between the private sector and the Association would offer the opportunity for more investors to come to Ghana.

Dr Harold Loeschner, German Ambassador, said German Business enterprises were poised to co-operate with their Ghanaian counterparts because of the priority offered by the government to the private sector.

He said; " Ghana has our support and we look for fruitful joint business co-operation".