niversal Merchant Bank (UMB), in collaboration with the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Republic of Ghana, has organised a seminar for the Chinese business community in Ghana. The event was held on the 12th August, 2015 at the UMB Head Office, and was organised under the theme “Challenges and Opportunities for Growth of Chinese Business in Ghana” -- aimed at addressing some of the Chinese business community’s concerns.

Among the dignitaries who graced the occasion was included the Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, Sun Baohong; the Managing Director/CEO of UMB, Mr. John Awuah; the CEO of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), Mrs. Mawuena Trebarh; the CEO of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Seth Twum-Akwaboah; the Managing Consultant of WTS Tax Legal Consulting, Mr. Abdallah Ali-Nakyea; and a cross section of the Chinese business community in Ghana.

In his opening remarks the Managing Director/CEO of UMB reiterated the importance of relations between Ghana and China, and the immense contribution that the Chinese community has made to the socio-economic development of Ghana. “As the relationship between China and Ghana continues to strengthen, we wish to contribute positively to this relationship by offering our considerable expertise and knowledge to aid in the development of the Chinese business community in Ghana.” He further added that the bank will soon launch a unit dedicated to needs of the Chinese business community.

The Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, Sun Baohong, lauded the initiative to address the challenges and concerns of Chinese businesses and stressed the commitment of her government to strengthen relations with Ghana, and also to partner with local organisations such as UMB to enhance the influence and impact of Chinese businesses.

There were presentations from the AGI on “Partnering with Local Businesses”; the GIPC on the “Working Mechanism of GIPC”; and from WTS Tax Legal Consulting on the “Ghana Tax Law”. The Director of Corporate Banking of UMB gave an informative presentation on the products and services UMB has to offer the Chinese business community.

The highlight of the event was a networking session and tour of the UMB Prominence Club Lounge. Participants at the event gave a big thumbs-up to the bank for organising such an informative and relevant seminar.