'Africa is now opened to business'- Kufuor
Also present at the meeting dubbed: "Business Call to Action" and jointly hosted by the United Kingdom (UK) Government and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are senior Government Ministers and high ranking representatives of the United Nations (UN). They are discussing concrete ideas for drawing on the power of businesses to help speed up progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in developing countries, particularly Africa. The MDGs, which range from halving extreme poverty to halving HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education by 2015 form a blueprint agreed on
by all countries and the world's development institutions.
There is however, growing anxiety that many African nations are off track in achieving the goals. Ghana and Rwanda are the only countries on the continent seen to be making strong showing at realising these goals.
President Kufuor said there are enormous opportunities for investment in the region, citing the raw material base and quality human resources and asked that it is time the multinationals shake themselves off whatever doubts they have about Africa. He said, under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), Ghana for example could export 6,400 duty free and quota-free commodities to the US market.
Added to this, are trade agreements with Europe, India, China and Japan, that had also opened their markets to Africa."We are waiting for you to come in", he said, while expressing concern about the low Foreign Direct Investment flow to the Continent.President Kufuor pointed out that, although the development partners have been generous with their Overseas Development Assistance (ODA), the dependence on this could not take Africans out of poverty.
UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown said it is in the best interest of businesses to bring the poorest countries into the global economy and to create a globalisation that was all inclusive. "I am not talking about a moral imperative but about a strategic and economic one." He said there is the need to fully acknowledge the critical importance of the private sector in driving development-focusing its attention not on an old one-dimensional "welfarist approach" but on enterprise, on free and fair trade and open markets and on harnessing the power of innovation and the building blocks of growth.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame, said dignity and prosperity goes hand in hand and pledged that Africa would be a good partner.
The UNDP Administrator Kemal Dervis, said the "Business Call to Action" is not a one time event, but a commitment to speed up progress on the MDGs. source: GNA
GIVE THE LOCALS SOME LOANS TO START DOING GOOD BUSINESS, NOW KUFUOR IS TELLING FOREIGNERS THAT AFRICA IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS BUT FOR THEM TO LISTEN AND BELIEVE IT YOU MUST HAVE SOME SUCCESS STORIES TO TELL THEM IN ORDER FOR THEM TO WANT TO INVEST THEIR MONEY IN AFRICA, I FOR INSTANCE HAVE APPLIED FOR BUSINESS LOAN FROM THE BANK OF GHANA, AND IT HAS BEEN 3 YEARS AND STILL HAVE NOT RECEIVE THE LOAN TO EXPAND MY BUSINESS AND HIRE MORE PEOPLE TO WORK, SO GIVE AFRICANS SOME LOAN MONEY TO INVEST TOO
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