By Iddi Yire, GNA
Accra, July 09, GNA – President John Dramani Mahama, Wednesday, engaged the Kwahu Business Forum Advocacy Association delegation led jointly by its President Mr Kwabena Adjare Danquah and Chief Executive Officer Mr Felix Nyarko-Pong at the Presidency in Accra.
Their discussions centred on the aftermath of the 2026 Kwahu Business Forum, the Government’s 24-Hour Economy Initiative, and the Accelerated Export Development Programme.
President Mahama in his address extended his appreciation to the Association for the visit and commended them for organizing themselves around a common purpose, which is promoting enterprise, investment in economic transformation, not only of the Kwahu area, but the whole of the nation Ghana.
“Every successful economy is built on strong partnerships between governments and the private sector. We all know that the government cannot do it alone,” he said.
President Mahama said the Government had to work hand in hand with the private sector to be able to achieve economic prosperity.
He said, he valued the opportunity that the meeting affords him to listen directly to those who create business, jobs and wealth.
Adding that their presence at the Presidency demonstrates their confidence in engaging the Government constructively.
“And I assure you that my administration remains committed to maintaining an open-door policy with the entire Ghanaian business community and particularly with the Kwahu Business Forum Advocacy Association,” he stated.
The President said from the first day of his administration they had been clear that the private sector was not nearly a stakeholder, saying “it is the principal engine of economic growth”.
Adding that it would be an important partner in their agenda for job creation.
This, he said was because if one takes the public sector, all public sector employees from the President to the lowest labourer or watchman amount to about 900,000 people out of the population of 33 million.
And that obviously there’s no way that the Government could absorb as many people in the public sector as possible.
“And so, it is a private sector that if it’s giving incentives an opportunity to grow can absorb the legions of our young people who are being churned out of all levels of our educational system every year.”
President Mahama said what the Government should do was to create the environment within which businesses can invest and expand with confidence, expanding their production, creating decent jobs and competing successfully.
He said their reset agenda was therefore centered on restoring macroeconomic stability, currency stability, rebuilding investor confidence, lower interest rates for businesses, improving infrastructure, strengthening institutions, and removing unnecessary barriers that increase the cost of doing business.
The President said in the one and a half years since the Government came into office, they been quite successful in stabilizing their macro-economic environment.
He reiterated that because businesses could not flourish where uncertainty prevails.
He emphasized that on the importance of Kwahu; stating that Kwahu occupies a unique place in Ghana’s economy.
He said the entrepreneurial state of the people of Kwahu was recognized throughout Ghana, and that across virtually every sector from commerce, to manufacturing, to transport, to construction, hospitality, agriculture, finance, agribusiness, Kwahu entrepreneurs had made enormous contributions to national development.
He noted that the Government sees Kwahu not simply as a geographical area, but as one of Ghana’s strongest indigenous centers of entrepreneurship.
He said their objective was to help businesses in Kwahu grow from successful local enterprises into nationally competitive and internationally recognized companies.
President Mahama said one of the greatest constraints on business remains infrastructure; declaring that that was improved roads, reliable electricity, reliable and affordable electricity, water supply, digital connectivity and logistics.
“These are not luxuries for businesses. They are essential for the growth of businesses. And there are fundamental requirements for economic competitiveness. And so we are working around the clock to improve the infrastructure.”
Touching on the 24-Hour Economy Initiative, President Mahama said as a rule of the 24-Hour Economy programme, they would engage the Association so that those of them who were interested in participating in the programme could do so and get the necessary incentives that would help them to reinvest in their businesses and expand their businesses and create new jobs.
He also mentioned the Government’s
We also have the Accelerated Export Development Programme, which was designed to transform Ghana into an export-driven, globally competitive economy.
Mr Felix Nyarko-Pong, the Chief Executive Officer of the Kwahu Business Forum Advocacy Association, lauded the Government’s efforts to construct a bridge over the Afraim River at Adawso–Ekye Amanfrom over the Afraim River, which according to him would open up the Kwahu Afram Plains to investors.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Odeng Adade