South African business people who participated in the Trade and Investment mission to Ghana have expressed satisfaction with the mission and are optimistic of tangible results in the near future.
The group participated in the mission organised by the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti), which was part of a week-long Trade and Investment mission to Ghana and Nigeria taking place from 20-25 March 2017.
The two-day mission to Ghana consisted of a trade and investment seminar, business to business meetings and site visits to Ghana Ports and Habour Authority, Group Five and the Ghana Energy Commission, amongst others.
Mr Christopher Moonien of Conlog Solutions for Utilities, a company that provides electricity metering solutions, said he was happy to return from Ghana with a lead to work with a local company Cen power which is a power generation company in Ghana.
He added that the discussions during the Trade and Investment seminar including the site visits to the energy commission were beneficial for his company and will see them returning to Ghana in the near future with the view of cementing the leads that have emanated from this mission.
“We now have good contacts that we will use and get more information to penetrate the energy sector in Ghana,” added Moonien.
Mr Hlayisani Matelakenyisa of DCD Ringrollers, a manufacturer and supplier of seamless forge products for the rail, petrochemical, civil engineering, power generation and medium to heavy engineering industries, said the opportunities that will be brought by the refurbishment of the current railway will not only benefit his company but a lot of role players with capabilities from South Africa.
Earlier-on during the visit to the Ghana Ports Authority, the Director of Ports Mr Jacob Kwabwa said they were faced with a challenge of traffic to and from the ports on the roads because the railway line was in a bad state. He highlighted that the government of Ghana had since introduced the Ministry of Rail, which was good news to the port and companies in the sector from South Africa and other countries. Kwabwa called this a huge investment opportunity.
The Director of Export Promotions at the dti, Ms Seema Sardha said she was pleased with the overwhelming response received during the business forum from the Ghananian side. She added that this demonstrated the enthusiasm from both sides towards building partnerships and value-chains which was a pivotal element of the Agenda 2063 commitments.
Sardha urged companies as to follow-up on the leads generated, thereby ensuring that these translate into the economic benefits which the continent needed in addressing the structural deficiencies.
The mission will proceed to Nigeria from 23-24 March 2017. The programme will include a trade and investment seminar, business to business meetings and site visits.
