President Nana Akufo-Addo on Tuesday, September 14, 2021, opened the first-ever Presidential Business summit in Accra.
The president, at the event, charged the private sector and heads of state agencies to dialogue and find the best creative ways out for the country to grow steadily even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Delivering his inaugural address, President Akufo-Addo said the summit will be an annual event that seeks to provide an inclusive platform for open and frank interaction between government and the private sector on critical issues of interest to the private sector in Ghana.
He also assured the private sector of creating the enabling environment for its success, adding “if our forefathers left us with dreams and visions, we must leave legacies and achievements for our generation.”
The deliberations in the Plenary Sessions will focus on five cross-cutting thematic areas: Fiscal and Non-Fiscal Incentives to Support Production and Private Sector Development; Foreign Exchange Regulation and Currency Stability; Access to Finance and Cost of Capital; Energy Pricing, Availability, Access and Reliability; and Supporting Local Industries through Government Procurement and Local Content Regulation.
This will be followed by Breakout Sessions for a deep dive into seven economic sectors: Agriculture and Agribusiness; Manufacturing; Construction and Mining; Financial Services; Information and Communication Technology; Tourism and Hospitality; and Transport and Logistics.
The Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan Kyerematen, said building a resilient and productive private sector to position Ghana as the leading manufacturing hub in Africa is the strategic goal of the government.
The President of AGI, Dr Yaw Adu Gyamfi, stated that AGI wants the cost of energy among other things to go down as well as the interest rate.
He, however, commended President Akufo-Addo and the government for pro Private sector growth initiatives like seeing to it that Vaccines are manufactured in the country within the next two years.
Dr Gyamfi also praised the Akufo-Addo government for Agenda 111 saying a healthy Nation is a worthy Nation.