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February 21, 2008 Ghana: Bush's visit ignites new American business interest
Accra, Feb. 20, GNA
- The focus on Ghana by US
President George W. Bush in recent times has ignited a new trend of
American business interest and exploration in a triangular venture to
propel Ghana into the global market place.
The triangular venture seeks to focus on
and develop collaboration with the government, business communities and
educational institutions to make Ghana a competitive destination in the
global market place, Mr Joseph Paul Cool, President of Cool and
Associates Incorporated of US told the Ghana News Agency in Accra on
Tuesday.
President George
W. Bush and President John Agyekum Kufuor of Ghana watch a ceremonial
dancer Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2008, upon the arrival of President Bush and
Mrs. Laura Bush to Kotoka International Airport in Accra, Ghana. White
House photo by Eric Draper
"Development in the global marketplace
calls for pragmatic business operation orientation by countries to
attract the necessary investors. As nobody would pay attention to you if
you don't create value for your products - tangibles and intangibles,"
he said.
Mr Cool is currently in the country as
advanced team leader under the Mosaic Ghana Initiative, which seeks to
connect Michigan and Ghana to provide significant opportunities for
growth.
The exploration would focus on common
market sectors - mining, light manufacturing, transportation,
communications, health care, long distance learning, athlete training,
student exchange programmes and unique products for Michigan merchants
in the area of joint ventures, distributorships, investment and
consulting.
Mr Cool explained that Mosaic Ghana
Initiatives is a coalition of several south-eastern Michigan companies
including Multicultural Community Partnership, MBC Global, Cool and
Associates, Divine Breeze, Russell and Associates, all Michigan-based
international organizations in collaboration with Paulson Ventures of
Ghana.
Mr Cool would speak to the students and
operatives in business communities in Accra, Tema, Kumasi and Atimpoku
on various topics including: "Key Success Factors from a Global
Perspective", "Going Global-The Challenges for Local Employers" and
"Marketing in the Global Marketplace".
He said Mosaic mission sought to use
Ghana, not only as a gateway to Africa but also to establish Accra as
the hub of Mosaic Africa centre. Mr Paul Adotey, Chief Executive Officer
of Paulson Ventures, noted that African nations with high youth
unemployment rates continued to thwart small and medium businesses with
heavy legal burdens and piecemeal reforms. He therefore called for
intensification of business operational reforms to make the continent
competitive in the global marketplace, stressing that Eastern European
countries were aggressively courting entrepreneurs with far-reaching
reforms that streamlined business regulations and taxes. Mr Adotey said
jobs were a priority for every country, especially African countries, as
they sought to accelerate development and alleviate poverty and noted
that the creation of enabling environment for business was a key
instrument to fighting poverty. He said women, who made up
three-quarters of the work force in most African and some developing
economies, would be big beneficiaries of such interventions.
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