By Iddi Yire
Accra, April 14, GNA – All is set for the Second Edition of the Kwahu Business Forum, slated from Saturday, April 19, to Sunday, April 20, at the Mpraeso Social Centre in the Kwahu South District of the Eastern Region.
The two-day event, which is the brainchild of President John Dramani Mahama on the theme “The Future of Business: The Role of the Financial Sector,” is designed to serve as a platform for dialogue between financial institutions and private sector players.
It will also highlight investment opportunities, discuss policy interventions, and chart a path towards building a more resilient and competitive business landscape in Ghana.
Mr Julius Debrah, the Chief of Staff at the Presidency, speaking at the media launch of the event at the Flagstaff House in Accra, reiterated President John Dramani Mahama’s commitment to fulfilling his campaign promises to create a conducive environment for businesses to thrive.
Mr Debrah, an accomplished Kwahu businessman himself, recalled that as part of the programmes and vision of President Mahama, the President wanted to find a way to grow more businesses and that usually Ghanaians talk about this, but they don’t have practical strategy that rolls out to enable them to be able to see the results.
He said the President was looking at developing more Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), especially those who were interested in agri-processing, manufacturing, things that were tangible for export, so that that would feed into his vision of leading the Accelerated Export Council.
He said last year, they were in Kwahu, and the President, then a candidate invited the business community and introduced the concept to them by asking them what were some of the things they want him to do if he becomes President?
“Luckily enough, he won the election, and he has become the President; and so, he wants to be a President who walks the talk, not just talking and then leaving it, so it becomes like a talk show,” the Chief of Staff said.
“So, he, as part of fulfilling his promise to the people he met, has requested that this year we’re going to have the Second Edition of the Kwahu Business Forum.”
Mr Debrah noted that this year, the key thing about the Forum was that they had invited all the financial institutions in Ghana, especially the public-owned ones.
It would be recalled that ahead of the Second Kwahu Business Forum, the Chief of Staff on April 3, held a crunch meeting with managers and chief executive officers of key state-owned financial institutions, such as the Agric Development Bank and the National Investment Bank (NIB).
Mr Debrah expressed surprise that at the said meeting, the chief executive officers of the banks indicated their willingness to support Ghana businesses at the Forum.
He said the participating banks had indicated their willingness to each support at least five Ghanaian businesses to help to grow.
He said day one of the Forum would be a gathering like a typical conference style with segments, where the in first segment there would be people who would be talking about agri-processing and the fund they would be able to make available to individuals who were interested.
Added to that the second session would be on manufacturing.
Mr Debrah said the African Development Bank had also shown an interest in participating in the Kwahu Business Forum.
He said the African Development Bank also wants to explain to the private sector participants some of the things that they would be able to do for them.
He said one day of the event, which is Saturday, April 19, the leaders of the banking institutions were coming to explain to the participants the products they had for them and that alongside was going to be the exhibition, where they were mounting a series of exhibition booths.
He said the Sunday morning, the Forum would not be held again, stating that the exhibition would run on Sunday.
He underscored that they were talking about the Kwahu Business Forum at the Presidency level because of the importance President Mahama attaches to it; saying “it is a project that he wants to see succeed”.
“Now, the first strategy the bankers themselves gave us is that at least each of the banks that will show up are going to pick five projects, five bankable projects for this year. And they expect that next year when we return to Kwahu, they will invite those five people that they have helped or assisted to come and testify,” Mr Debrah said.
“So, if this continues for the next five years, each bank picking a minimum of five people, five enterprises to support, the following year doing the same. I’m sure by the end of his four-year tenure, we’ll have over 600 enterprises that we can pinpoint and say that these are things that President Mahama started.”
Mr Debrah said even though the Forum was titled Kwahu Business Forum was an annual event, and that going into the future, it would be national in character, whereby businesspeople would travel from all over the country to converge at Kwahu and to interact with bankers and public institutions.
He cited that it should be possible that somewhere along the line next year, they could have the Commissioner General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) trying to explain to businesses the advantages they could have.
He said that the Forum could just be around how to grow businesses under President Mahama’s watch.
“And I think it’s something that is welcoming, and I support it because without private sector growth, not much will happen apart from creating jobs, people making money.
“Our system itself, I think, will flourish and then automatically to feed into his agenda of leading the export drive in the West African subregion”.
The Chief of Staff suggested that possibly towards the end of the year, President Mahama could organize Ghana’s International Trade Fair, in say Burkina Faso, in Niger, in Mali, and he would take along some of the Ghanaian entrepreneurs to go and showcase their products so that they could import from Ghana.
GNA
KOA