Nana Kodjo Jehu-Appiah, GNA Special Correspondent, Bangkok

Bangkok, Aug. 30, GNA - Vice President Aliu Mahama on the second day of his official visit to Thailand on Wednesday announced plans by Ghana to establish a Trade Centre in the Asian country. He said Thailand had already shown the way by establishing a Centre in Accra, adding that a close partnership between the two countries was a win-win affair.

Vice President Alhaji Mahama made this known during a dinner hosted for him and other members of the Ghanaian delegation by officials of the Thailand-Ghana Trade Centre.

He asked Thai entrepreneurs to have confidence to invest in Ghana due to the prevailing stable and democratic climate in the country. "The main focus of Government is to promote good governance. We have a very independent Judiciary and Legislature. Ghana is a safe place to do business...We have tax holidays and incentive for would-be investors," he said.

Vice President Mahama said the sound economic policies of the ruling New Patriotic Party had made Ghana the Gateway to West Africa. He told the entrepreneurs that investment in Ghana would expose them to the vast market in the West Africa Sub-Region with over 250 million people.

Processing of investment documents, he said, was now easy since the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre established a One-Stop Business Registration Centre.

Vice President Alhaji Mahama said the avenues of investments cut across mining; the hospitality industry; textiles; Information, Communication and Telecommunications; cassava production and processing and housing.

The Chairman of the Centre and Ghana's Honorary Consul, Dr Nathada Signsoonboon, expressed the commitment of the Thai business community to promote business partnership and cooperation with their Ghanaian counterparts.

She said members of the Centre were eager to share ideas and encourage business exchanges to enhance productivity, social and economic development between the two countries. 30 Aug. 06