The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), Simon Madjie, has emphasised the need to diversify Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) beyond Ghana’s traditionally competitive sectors, such as gold and oil.
Speaking on The Point of View on Channel One TV, Mr Madjie, acknowledged that Ghana’s natural resources attract investors, but stressed the importance of expanding investment opportunities into other sectors.
“As a country, we have our natural competitive areas, we have natural resources—gold, oil—with these products, even if you are at war, they remain valuable in most parts of the world, so you are always going to find investors for those sectors,” he stated.
However, he noted that Ghana, must go beyond these industries by identifying and promoting investment opportunities across all districts.
“What we need to do is determine how we can move beyond the sectors where we are naturally competitive and actually diversify Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to support the development of our country. What I have been considering with the team is the need to map out investment opportunities in all our districts, which will lead to regional investment prospects.
“This will help our local businessmen, who often feel neglected, to identify where investment opportunities exist.”
Mr Madjie, believes such a blueprint will benefit local businesses by highlighting potential investment areas and assisting Ghana’s missions abroad in marketing the country effectively.
“It will also enable our missions abroad to promote the country. The media can also play a role in marketing Ghana if they have access to the necessary data. We need to move beyond the sectors where we are naturally competitive and explore untapped opportunities.
“In doing so, we will be able to promote our country both internally and externally. If we have a well-structured blueprint, the President of Ghana can reference it while travelling around the world to attract investors,” he added.
