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The Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, has tasked entrepreneurs in the Central Region to strategically position their businesses to enable them to take advantage of the increasing investment opportunities in the region.

He explained that the region abound in great investment opportunities in the area of salt production, cassava, fishery, citrus and other economic opportunities that would help in spearheading the industrialisation drive needed to transform the region..

He, therefore urged, the entrepreneurs to form partnership in order to get the needed benefit of their investments , saying that so many of them would be able to earn much profits if they partner with one another.

Mr. Spio-Garbrah said this during an interaction with members of the Central Regional Chamber of Commerce as part of his two-day working tour of the region.

The visit gave the minister the opportunity to interact with a number of establishments including the Ameen Sangari and the University of Cape Coast. He also visited the ongoing construction of Komenda Sugar Factory and the Kotokuraba market.

Mr. Spio-Garbrah further said that the level of poverty in the region was as a result of the unemployment situation and wondered why a region with such great potential could be classified among the poverty regions in the country.

He said that the production of cassava, citrus, and other agricultural potential, tourism, salt production and other resources had not been adequately exploited for the development of the region.

He reiterated the government’s commitment to implementing a number of interventions that would help in spearheading the industrialisation drive of the area, in order to create the needed employment avenue for the teaming unemployed youth.

He further expressed the government’s commitment to create necessary platform to promote private sector business growth which, he said, was key towards reducing the unemployment rate in the country.

At the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Mr. Spio-Garbrah called for the revival of a proposed Information Communication Technology (ICT) park which had been on the drawing board for about five years now and expected to be funded by the Ghana Infrastructural investment Fund.

Mr. Spio-Garbrah said that the proposed ICT park was expected to house companies like Google, Microsoft, and IBM among other IT giants, saying that it formed part of a policy to promote ICT in the region and the nation as a whole.

He explained that the setting up of the ICT park would help promote research among students in the region whilst offering them an opportunity to acquire practical training on ICT.

Mr. Spio-Garbrah also indicated that the project would help create employment for graduates and said that his visit was to discuss ways that would lead to the university releasing a portion of its land for execution of the project.

In his remarks, Prof D.D. Kuupole, Vice Chancellor of the university, said that the establishment of an ICT park was a laudable one and advocated the need for more collaboration in the realisation of the project.

He reiterated the university’s commitment to release the required land for the project but was quick to ask for a letter from the ministry in order to formalise the release of the land.

Mr. Spio-Garbrah earlier paid a courtesy call on the Central Regional Minister, Aquinas Tawiah Quansah in Cape Coast where they discussed ways that would lead to the transformation of the region.

Mr. Quansah, in his comment, noted that the Central Region could not be classified as the third poorest region in the country, looking at the numerous resources available at its disposal, explaining that the region abound in clay deposits which could be used in the ceramics industry, tourist sites, and fishing among others that could be used to transform the fortunes of the region.

He called for the adoption of concerted efforts from all stakeholders in addressing the level of under-development in the region.