Hajia Alima Mahama, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development has said that Ghana’s doors are open for investors to do business in the country.

She said government had created a conducive and an enabling environment for investment and business to thrive and was encouraging all to do business in Ghana.

Hajia Mahama was speaking at the Ghana Business and Investment Forum, a side event organized at the just ended 2018 Ninth Session of the UN-Habitat World Urban Forum (WUF9) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on the theme: “Ghana’s Industrialization Programme: Opportunities and Transformation Partners in Trade and Industry.”

It was organised by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, in partnership with the Ghana Free Zones Board, the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre as well as the Malaysian Chamber of Commerce.

The WUF9, which was on the theme: “Cities 2030, Cities for All: Implementing the New Urban Agenda,” focused on the New Urban Agenda as a tool and accelerator for achieving Agenda 2030 and the SDGs

It is the key platform to discuss the implementation of the New Urban Agenda and the urban dimension of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and one of the most open gatherings in the international arena.

The WUF9 mobilises urban actors in national governments, sub-national and local governments, civil society, private sector and academia to share knowledge and solutions for sustainable urban development; facilitates stakeholders’ inputs to monitoring and reporting on the New Urban Agenda and also a strong multi-stakeholder partnerships.

The New Urban Agenda was adopted in October 2016 at the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development – Habitat III in Quito, Ecuador.

She said the World Bank has indicated that Ghana’s economy this year will growth by 8.5 per cent and this was an indication to all investors that there was economic stability in Ghana.

Hajia Mahama, who is also the Member of Parliament for Nalerigu/Gambaga, said “good things are happening in Ghana” and that calls for more investors to do business in the country.

She said her delegation also include Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives, who are eager to learn and share experiences from other countries and adopt into our urban planning.

She thanked the Malaysian Government for the opportunity and called on the business community to take advantage of Ghana’s conducive business atmosphere to invest in the country.

Nana Dr Appiagyei Dankawoso I, President of the Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry said the World has become a Global Village and that distance should not be a barrier for investors.

The New Urban Agenda lays out the vision for future cities based on the science of urban development providing tools in crucial areas.

The WUF was created in 2002 to bring countries together to discuss issues that are critical to the management of urban areas through a sustainable urban development and cities.