Former Mayor of Accra and current Member of Parliament for Ablekuma South, Alfred Oko Vanderpuije, has encouraged investors to seize opportunities in the Ghanaian economy.
Speaking in Accra during a press briefing to introduce a six-member business delegation from United States-based National Black Masters of Business Administration Association (NBMBAA), Mr. Vanderpuije, cited several sectors of the economy that investors could inject resources into.
“We have a high housing deficit. If they could invest in some level of housing it will be a breakthrough for people who are employed, because I know today when people have to seek for housing they have to pay two years in advance rent, so we need to find a way to eliminate that situation,” he said.
The delegation is in the country to, among other things, explore investment opportunities as well as forge partnership with public and private sector agencies, as part of moves to increase business relations.
Their visit is also the outcome of a presentation by Mr. Vanderpuije in Philadelphia last year, about Ghana’s business potential.
The delegation is led by NBMBAA’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Jesse Tyson. The team is expected to hold discussions with a host of state agencies and private sector business to identify viable sectors of interest.
“The reason we don’t have a budget is because the individuals we are bringing are the ones who will have to go out and procure the resources to do the investments and it will depend on what projects [they] see and say ‘I will really want to invest in that project, I want to know about it and I am going to find the money to invest in it’,” Dr. Tyson said, when responding to a question on how much investment the team is looking at pumping in the country economy.
Although the specific areas of interest are not known yet, sanitation, hospitality, technology, agriculture and manufacturing are understood to be high on the delegation’s agenda.
