Prez Assures France Of Better Opportunities Here

By Edmund Mingle
Monday, 02 March 2009


President John Evans Atta Mills has assured the French business community of government’s cooperation to enable them to explore investment opportunities existing in the various sectors of the economy.
In an effort to woo more French investment into the country, President Mills told a visiting French business delegation at the Castle, Osu, that many opportunities existed in the agriculture, oil and gas, construction, roads and transport sectors which could be exploited through partnerships.
The delegation is led by Mrs Anne Marie Idrac, France’s Minister of State for External Trade.
President Mills also assured all investors that government would ensure the security of their investments through the creation of an appropriate legal regime for the business sector for them to realise the needed returns.
He said although the economy was facing challenges coupled with the effects of the global financial crisis, “our economy is resilient and will spring back.
“This is the time we need our friends most,” he said, and underscored the need to strengthen the relationship between Ghana and France, describing France as a “useful partner” in Ghana’s economic development.
He assured France of Ghana’s cooperation on bilateral issues, and called for support and cooperation from the country’s development partners to create the required resilience in the economy.
Mrs. Idrac commended Ghana for the successful peaceful election and political transition.
She announced that France, through the French Agency for Development, had approved a concessionary loan of 45million euros for the funding of two projects in Ghana.
Thirty million euros would go into the Aworshie-Pokuase road project while 15 million euros would be used to support the creation of a District Development Facility that is aimed at strengthening the country’s decentralization system.She noted that bilateral socio-economic relations with Ghana had improved in recent times and said it was the French government’s desire to enhance its ties with Africa.