President John Agyekum Kufuor on Monday said government has identified the Keta basin as one of the operational zones for the President's Special Initiative (PSI) on Salt.

He said consultation and studies in the area were still on-going. President Kufuor announced this when opening the three-day Volta Regional Investment Conference at Ho.

The Conference under the theme: "Toward the Economic Development of the Volta Region" was organized by Compass Ventures under the auspices of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and the President's Special Investment (PSI) and the Volta Regional Co-ordinating Council.

It is to showcase the enormous economic potentials and attract investors to invest in the region to help speed up the economic development of the region in particular and Ghana.

The Region has a very large expanse of land estimated at over one million hectares suitable for general agriculture and the cultivation of cereals, roots and tubers, vegetables, and fruits. In addition it abounds in water bodies such as the sea, rivers, lakes, lagoons and creeks and produces tonnes of the nation's marine and fresh water fish more than any region in the country.

The region also has large deposits of gold, diamond, iron ore, chromite, lime, jasper, clay, salt and oil.

The region is also rich in the art and craft industry, quality kente, pottery and ceramics are produced as well as tourism potentials when exploited would earn substantial foreign exchange for the country.

President Kufuor said, with regard to the PSI on cassava, the region was involved in two different zones.

The first comprised Kpando and North Tongu districts together with some districts in the Eastern Region that formed part of the Densu Starch Company. He said in addition, there would be another mainstream operational zone with its own starch company that would comprise, Kete Krachi, Nkwanta, Jasikan, Kadjebi, Hohoe districts and Ho Municipality.

President Kufuor said Kpeve, Dzodze, Jasikan and Kadjebi districts had been earmarked for nursery operation and plantation development for the oil palm industry that would begin next year.

He said the PSI on the Garment and Textiles was also being introduced in the region and expressed the hope that some local entrepreneurs had already positioned themselves to take advantage of it.

President Kufuor said the virgin assets in the region comprising the land, mountains, beaches, waterfalls, caves, water bodies and the rich and diversified culture must be nurtured and developed fully to bring forth new opportunities, products and increased wealth to benefit the people with a spill over to the rest of the country.

" I am sure one day, the Volta Region, will be one of the main food baskets of the country and a popular tourist destination", he added.

He reminded the people that the region shares a border with another country where all the efforts being made would be undermined by the activities of smugglers.

President Kufuor therefore, appealed to the chiefs and people to be vigilant and expose the activities of miscreants who subvert the economy and society. He said government was on course and would move relentlessly until Ghana becomes a middle income economy, preferably within a decade, adding, "we need your partnership. Let us all put our hands to the wheels and I hope the Volta Region will be part of this great success story".

Mr Kwasi Owusu-Yeboa, Volta Regional Minister said the salt potentials within the Keta basin had been identified as one of the largest in the world. He said salt production in the area could be enhanced as a result of the large salt markets within the West African Sub-Region.

The Regional Minister said the conference would be used to generate and facilitate action for a co-ordinated programme of development and to collate and update all available data on investment potentials in the region for the enhancement of the region's socio-economic development.

He gave the assurance that the Regional Co-ordinating Council would be proactive after the conference and ensure that all recommendations made were implemented.

"Indeed investment matters will hereafter constitute a special portfolio to be incorporated into the regular schedule of activities of the council" he said.

Mr Owusu-Yeboa said a Regional Investment Office with the support of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) had been inaugurated but due to some logistic problems, the office was yet to be made functional.

"We would ensure the office is fully equipped to be able to gather, store and disseminate all necessary information about investments and all its related matters in the region", he said.

The Regional Minister appealed to the participants, not only to focus on the facilities and concessions that were expected from government and prospective investors but endeavour to re-examine critically the attitudes, beliefs, perceptions and practices of the people that had tended to discourage prospective investors and impeded the socio-economic development of the region. Togbega Gabusu VI, Paramount Chief of the Gbi Traditional area, who chaired the opening session said effective and efficient socio-economic development could not be achieved in any area that was engulfed with land and chieftaincy disputes.

Togbega Gabusu who, is also the President of the Volta Region House of Chiefs, therefore appealed to the government to appoint a counsel to the House to make the Judicial Committees functional.

He said files on land and chieftaincy disputes had piled up at the House and with the appointment of a counsel could help solve most of the disputes to create a congenial atmosphere for investments and socio-economic development.