Accra , Feb. 02, GNA - Ghana and Euromoney are to hold ‘Ghana Finance and Investment Conference’ next week to create a platform for policy and strategy as well as highlight Ghana’s attractions as a Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) destination.

Speakers for the two-day event scheduled for February 7-8 February, will be drawn from Ghanaian government, local practitioners and international investors to set the economic direction of the country over the next twelve months and in the medium term.

With Ghana rapidly becoming a regional centre for minerals, cash crops including cocoa, and with new-found oil – a discovery which certainly made the country attractive to global financial watchers and the need for infrastructure expansion, present the right conditions for foreign investment.

Commenting on the conference, Dr Kwabena Duffuor, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, said, “This is the opportune time for investors to come to Ghana. Our economy is doing well, it’s being touted as one of the fastest growing economies and it is strong and resilient. We have made a lot of efforts to diversify and modernize it; above all, we are a stable country where the rule of law, transparency and good governance are held sacred”.

“Currently our focus is on developing our oil and gas industry and to bridge the huge infrastructural gap – roads, rails, energy, ICT, health facilities etc. The World Bank estimates that we need about US2.5 billion annually for the next four to five years to bridge this gap. I hope that participants would find our economy attractive enough to invest in some of these areas”.

The conference will be officially opened by President John Evans Atta Mills and will feature a live interview on stage with Dr Kwabena Duffour and a keynote address from Mr Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur, Governor, Bank of Ghana.

A keynote address from Mr Mark Mobius, Executive Chairman, Templeton Emerging Markets Group, Franklin Templeton Investments, the emerging market investment guru, on investing in Africa in the current climate.

“Euromoney’s Ghana Finance and Investment Conference is a clear demonstration that Ghana is taking the need to revitalise its finance and investment environment very seriously,” said Christopher Garnett, Director of Euromoney Conferences.

“Although, parts of the region exist in a state of some turmoil, this is not true of Ghana and I can think of no better time for us to be here.”

The conference will cover several key investment areas including banking, capital markets, oil and gas, SMEs, infrastructure and PPPs, mining, soft commodities and agribusiness, under the banner ” Ghana: Where Growth and Stability Meet.”

More than 250 participants will attend the conference.