Kumasi, Feb 12, GNA - The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) is collaborating with some of its neighbouring districts to set up a Tourism Development Company to help transform the region into a major tourism destination.

The Company would see to it that there is adequate investment to raise facilities to international standards. This followed the selection of Kumasi for the Millennium Cities Initiative (MCI) programme, designed at helping some cities to fight poverty. Mr Samuel Sarpong, the Metropolitan Chief Executive, said they had additionally opened an office of Ghana Investment Promotion Council (GPIC) to ensure that issues relating to private sector growth are effectively handled.

He said this when he received Lord Michael Hastings, a Director of the KPMG/MCI, an international consortium based in Netherlands, at his office in Kumasi on Thursday. Mr Sarpong said the KMA was grateful to the consortium for assisting the assembly to produce an investment guide. "This has given great boost to our efforts at pushing the MCI programme forward".

He said under the MCI there would be the production of bamboo bicycles and building of a hostel at the University of Education Winneba, Kumasi Campus. Lord Hastings commended the KMA for its efforts at injecting some pace into the development of the city and said with only five years for Ghana to achieve its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) there should be no time to waste.

Lord Hastings also paid a courtesy call on the Regional Minister, Mr Kofi Opoku-Manu, and interacted with members of the Association of Ghana industries. This provided the platform for sharing ideas and to explore investment opportunities. . 12 Feb 10