Kumasi, Aug 17, GNA - Seven hundred local and foreign companies and industrial concerns would participate in the Industry and Technology Exhibition (INDUTECH) 2005 as compared to the 486 in the 2001 exhibition.

Mr Prince Kofi Kudjeson, President of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), who announced this, said 500 out of the expected 700 exhibitors would be local entrepreneurs.

He was speaking at the Ashanti and Brong-Ahafo launching of INDUTECH 2005 in Kumasi on Tuesday, organised by the AGI in collaboration with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and President's Special Initiative (PSI).

Over 75 industrialists, the universities, polytechnics, departments and agencies from the two regions attended.

It was designed to create the platform for promoting and publicising the sixth Ghana Industry and Technology Exhibition to be held at the Ghana International Trade Fair Centre, in Accra from March 3-14, 2005.

The theme for INDUTECH 2005 would be "Transforming Ghana's Industrial Sector Through Information And Communication Technology". Mr Kudjeson said response to INDUTECH 2005 was far more encouraging than the 2001 fair and urged industrialists and Information, Communication Technology (ICT) companies to register to showcase their products and to promote Made-In-Ghana products.

Nana Kwadwo Seinti, Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister, called on AGI to take advantage of the industrial climate created by the government to encourage its members to diversify and to move out of the urban centres for the rural areas.

He said such a step would help develop the rural sector and create job opportunities for the youth to forestall the rural-urban drift. Nana Seinti noted that, "the issue of poverty in our rural communities is still pervasive because several approaches at tackling rural poverty by previous governments have tended to be more prescriptive rather than tackling the roots".

He said the government's programmes to offer training to the rural youth to enable them generate their own employment and set up small-scale industries was a practical way to address the problem. Mr Maxwell Kofi Jumah, Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive, urged the AGI to encourage many small-scale industrialists to take part in INDUTECH 2005.

He said this would afford them the opportunity to learn from others and showcase their products instead of concentrating on the big companies alone.

He said Ghana had many small-scale industries, adding that, the country's industrial sector greatly depended on their operations hence the need to involve them more in such industrial fairs.

Mr Andrew Lawson, Executive Director of the AGI, commended Mechanics at the Suame Magazine for their role in the country's industrialisation.

He said given the necessary encouragement, financial support and guidance, they could turn out spare parts for the West African sub-market.