GIPC in talks with Microsoft, Apple, other US firms to launch presence in Africa via Ghana
The Ghana Investment Promotion Center is charging US investors to consider launching their presence in Africa through Ghana since the country is the investment hub of the Africa continent.
To this end, the Center is already in advance discussions with some major American businesses including Microsoft, Amazon and Apple, to launch their presence in Ghana, and take advantage of the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement to expand their operations in Africa.
Already, Google and United Airlines have established their presence in Africa through Ghana.
Chief Executive of GIPC, Yofi Grant speaking at the 2021 US Ghana Business Forum said Ghana’s name is the most prominent and attractive place to invest in Africa.
We are really well positioned to engage the US investors to find out exactly what will make them successful in our country [Ghana], and working with them to ensure it happens. So, we are speaking with some US major companies which we believe should be in Africa now to prepare for the future.”
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It’s instructive that we have Twitter announcing to establish its regional headquarters in Ghana and United Airlines also saying it will make Ghana its African hub and Google has also put its artificial intelligence headquarters in Ghana. Then we are also speaking to other players like Amazon, like Microsoft, like Apple and creating the space for them to operate and operate efficiently for a very strong and emerging African market. The areas that we see as important are predicated on a plan that we called the Ghana Cares Obataanpa Programme”, he explained.
Ghana well positioned as gateway to Africa
Grant also said Ghana has strategically positioned itself to achieve and succeed as the gateway in terms of investments in Africa.
Strategically, we’ve also positioned ourselves to achieve and succeed in this endeavor of developing the country and building a wealthy nation. Indeed, two of the President’s [Akufo-Addo] real aspiration is one to make Ghana a hub for West Africa and two to make Ghana one of the best places to do business on the African continent. And is therefore not surprising that Ghana was chosen to host the headquarters of the African Continental Free Trade Area. And I believe that is what really we should be trumpeting that Ghana remains an attractive investment opportunity.
US investors should focus on Ghana
The CEO of GIPC encouraged US investors to prioritise Ghana first in its decision to set up businesses on the African continent, saying the country has a stable socio-political environment.
Indeed, if you look at the past 10 years, the 10 fastest growing economies in the world, seven were from Africa including Ghana. And we believe that we’re going to see a lot more happenings in the near future.”
“Ghana should be the place that American investors should focus on. I said our relationship with the US is strategic; strategic in the sense that we offer the continent to the US on much more conducive terms than many Africa countries will do”, he pointed out.
