The event, expected to happen on Saturday, 2nd December 2017 at the Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra, is aimed at acknowledging excellence in business amongst companies operating here in Ghana. It will also create a platform for interactions between members of the chamber, top government officials of Ghana, as well as other key players in Ghana’s corporate community.

The CEO of the UKGCC, Tony Burkson, said “We are all set for the first Business Excellence Award ceremony. With 16 categories of awards, this gala will celebrate not just Ghana, but our members and their businesses. We have members wining the Employer of the Year, Exporter of the Year, SME of theYear, Best CSR Project and Best Logistics Company.

The rest are Best Brand of the Year, Most successful company of the year, Best Local Partner, Best Social Impact Project, Best Think-Tank, Best Engine Graduate, Best in Innovation and British Entrepreneur of the Year”.

Mr. Burkson further revealed that the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), Mr. Yofi Grant will be recognized by the chamber for driving trade between Ghana and the UK. “Mr. Yofi Grant was instrumental in getting the green light for the Aqua Africa project as well as leading trade missions from Ghana to meet with UK trade delegations, and he has consistently lobbied for our members”, he added.

He also emphasized that the chamber provides assistance to Ghanaian companies investing in the UK. “We will continue with our mission which is to push the trade agenda between Ghana and the UK”, he stated.

The Meeting and Events Director of Movenpick Ambassador Hotel, Oana Rugina congratulated UKGCC for the active work in Ghana as she expressed her company’s excitement about the event. “We are happy to be a partner in this wonderful event that seeks to grow the Ghanaian economy,” she added.

Top personalities expected to grace the ceremony include the President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E Nana Addo-Dankwa Akuffo Addo, and the British High Commissioner to Ghana, Iain Walker among others.

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Source: UK-Ghana Chamber of Commerce

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Projects such as railway infrastructure, power projects (generation and distribution), general infrastructure needs among others were under discussion for the investment.

This agreement was made when the Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo Marfo and other Government of Ghana officials visited the offices of the CDC in the United Kingdom.

CDC revealed that they had several investments in Ghana which included Cal Bank, SG-SSB Ltd., Ghana Leasing Company, Ltd., Tropical Glass Company, Ltd., as well as supported several private equity firms who had in turn invested in several other projects to promote development in Ghana.

Speaking on the agreement to co-invest, Solomon Asamoah, CEO of GIIF said, “I’ve known and worked with the CDC for a very long time in my previous roles at the African Development Bank, the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) and IFC.  It is very refreshing to hear the CDCs interest in Ghana”.

He added that “As the CEO of GIIF, my role and goal is not to simply invest the US$250m anchor money the GOG have provided for GIIF, but to also grow those funds.  Investing or co-investing with the CDC is the kind of package or plan that I believe will allow us to achieve this.”

He further appealed to the CDC to support Ghana through the infrastructure expansion phase that the country is about to undertake.

The Director and Head of Infrastructure Team at CDC, Sameh Shenouda expressed CDC’s intense interest in Ghana’s development. “CDC has a focus on the energy and utilities sectors of Ghana and will be happy to support investments into these sectors,” he said.

According to him, a partnership with GIIF gave CDC the assurance and risk mitigation required to make some of the investments. “We look forward to working with the GIIF and the rest of the team in Ghana to pursue investment projects that interests Ghana,” he added.

The Senior Minister, Osafo Marfo explained that the current government’s private sector focused approach to development expected to create more jobs through the private sector.

He encouraged the CDC to engage with the government of Ghana and Ghanaian businesses to enable them align their investment interests with that of the country. He also called on businesses to invest in the different sectors of the Ghanaian economy; agribusiness, railways, mining, energy, among others.

The other officials included the Minster for Railways, Joe Ghartey, the Deputy Minister for Energy, Joseph Cudjoe and the CEO of GIPC, Mr. Yofi Grant.

The visit was part of activities organized by the UK-Ghana Chamber of Commerce (UKGCC) with a big conference where over 250 British investors interested in Ghana met and deliberated on business opportunities in Ghana.

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Credit: UK-Ghana Chamber of Commerce

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The two-day event will be held from 27-28 June 2017 in London, and will provide a platform for UKGCC and its members to forge new opportunities within the trade sector.

The forum will afford participants the opportunity to engage with high-ranking Ghanaian government officials, policy-shapers and potential commercial partners. Attendees will be briefed on the economic and political prospects for Ghana and the UK respectively, followed by plenary sessions focused on the key economic sectors that Ghana wishes to promote.

The CEO of Ghana’s Investment Promotion Centre, Mr. Yofi Grant is expected to give a keynote address at the prestigious event. Confirmed speakers and panelists include: CEO of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, Dr. Kofi Koduah Sarpong, and the Minister of Railway Development, Hon. Joe Ghartey.

Mr. Grant said, “This Investment and Trade forum will leverage on the long-standing experience and traditional business relationships that exists between the UK and Ghana. But more importantly, it will also give a platform to further consolidate new opportunities which have opened up both in Ghana and the UK for enhanced trade and investment”. He went on to say, ”Ghana is ready and open for business and we are very excited about it.”

Mr. Tony Burkson, CEO of the UKGCC, is equally enthused about forum and the potential for the bilateral trade relationship of the future. “During my time here in Ghana, I have seen the immense opportunities for bilateral trade with the UK. I am very much looking forward to the forum and the initiatives being brought to fruition. The UK-Ghana Chamber of Commerce continues to be a useful resource and platform for companies looking to build a bigger trade relationship between Ghana and the UK.”

Established in 2016, the UK – Ghana Chamber of Commerce (UKGCC) was launched to facilitate and promote the ever-increasing need for collaboration between SME’s and large multi-national corporations operating in the UK and Ghana. The UK-Ghana Trade and Investment Forum will be held from the 27^th to 28^th ­­of June 2017 in London.

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Source: UK-Ghana Chamber of Commerce

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At the meeting the Vice Chairman of UKGCC, Steven Gray extended his sincere congratulations to the Vice President on the New Patriotic Party’s historic victory and introduced the chamber to him.

The members highlighted their different areas of interest, drew the Vice President’s attention to various policy areas of importance as well as issues they’ve faced within those sectors.

They also had the opportunity to offer suggestions and adjustments to the issues raised.

Robin McCone, a director at UKGCC, offered some innovative revenue collection ideas that were of great interest to Dr. Bawumia.

The Chamber members also indicated the need for changes within the civil justice system as it relates to the private sector.

Dr. Bawumia was very receptive to the chamber’s mission, the key policy points presented, as well as its member’s insight on their different sectors.

He expressed his gratitude and said he is looking forward to working with more business friendly companies in Ghana.

Dr. Bawumia also emphasized the goals of the NPP to holistically ensure Ghana is a profitable place for global business.

He also stated several of his initiatives for his first 100 days in office.

The Vice President further agreed to have a quarterly meeting with the UKGCC.

For his part, the CEO of the chamber, Tony Burkson, expressed his excitement at working with the new government.

“My members and I are excited about the opportunity to work alongside the government of Ghana to achieve its developmental goals and enter into a new age of Ghanaian prosperity. The Chamber thanks the Vice President for his time and looks forward to more successful and fruitful meetings like this in the future,” he added.

The meeting was held on December 20, 2016.

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Credit: UK-Ghana Chamber of Commerce

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