ECOWAS To Hold Second China Business Forum In Accra

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will hold its second business forum with China in Accra. The forum which will also include a meeting of Presidents of the Regional Business Associations (RBAs) will occur on March 20-21, 2012. This was in a press statement signed by Emmanuel Doni-Kwame, Acting Chief Executive of Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry copied to the Ghana News Agency, in Accra yesterday. The second ECOWAS forum will focus on attracting additional Chinese investments into the power sector and development in health care and pharmaceuticals, agro-food and allied services, as well as Information and Communication Technology. The statement said the three layered structure meeting will include an opening ceremony, presentations and a third session which will be dedicated to business, trade and investment discussions by the private sector and government operatives. It will provide an unprecedented opportunity for senior policy-makers, corporate executives, investors and investment promotion agencies to interact through series of sessions, networking and social exchanges. It said the first business forum hosted by China in Beijing in September 2008 saw about 1,000 participants who benefited from West Africa including 200 private sector operators and 150 government officials. The initial forum focused on stimulating Chinese investments in energy, mining and petrochemicals, construction, textile and light industry, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, financial services, as well as machinery, electronics and telecommunications. Several memoranda of understanding and agreements for investments worth billions of dollars were signed between Chinese companies and the Governments of Ghana, Sierra Leone and Nigeria for various infrastructural development projects such as airports, roads and dams.