In a powerful address delivered at the China-Africa Private Sector Cooperation Forum on September 7, 2024, in Shenzhen, China, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of Ghana made a compelling case for stronger China-Africa economic collaboration, highlighting Ghana’s efforts toward industrialization, agricultural modernization, and green development.

His speech, delivered as part of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), outlined the transformative opportunities for investment in Ghana while emphasizing the country’s strategic role as a hub for economic growth in Africa.

In his address, President Akufo-Addo praised the remarkable achievements of Shenzhen, a city that epitomizes China’s economic transformation through innovation and investment. “Shenzhen symbolizes the extraordinary achievements that are possible through innovation, investment, and partnership,” he remarked.

Drawing parallels, he pointed out how similar efforts in Ghana are beginning to bear fruit and invited Chinese and global investors to join Ghana in replicating these successes across the African continent.

Central to President Akufo-Addo’s address was Ghana’s ambitious industrialization agenda. He emphasized that the key to Ghana’s economic transformation lies in adding value to its abundant natural resources. One of the flagship sectors highlighted by the President was the burgeoning vehicle assembly industry, which has already attracted major global brands like Toyota, Nissan, Volkswagen, and Sinotruk to set up plants in the country.

The President assured potential investors of Ghana’s conducive investment environment, supported by the country’s Automotive Development Policy, which offers tax breaks and incentives for vehicle assembly operations.With the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat based in Accra, the President further stressed that Ghana offers investors a strategic gateway to the entire African market, positioning itself as a vital hub for regional trade and manufacturing.

Beyond the automotive sector, President Akufo-Addo outlined the success of the “One District, One Factory” (1D1F) initiative, a cornerstone of his government’s industrialization strategy. Through this program, the government has facilitated the establishment of at least one manufacturing facility in each of the country’s 261 districts. As a result, 321 new factories have been developed, with 211 of them being brand-new enterprises. The initiative has also led to the creation of 170,000 jobs, and the President projected even more growth as the program continues to expand.

He urged Chinese investors to consider the vast potential within this program, emphasizing its role in decentralizing industry, creating jobs, and driving rural development.

President Akufo-Addo also acknowledged agriculture as the backbone of Ghana’s economy, contributing significantly to the nation’s GDP. However, he stressed that the sector remains ripe for modernization. The President highlighted Ghana’s “Planting for Food and Jobs” (PFJ) initiative, which has already supported over 1.9 million farmers, significantly boosting the production of key staples such as maize and rice.

Yet, the President was keen to underscore the immense opportunity for investment in agro-processing, a sector he believes will move Ghana up the agricultural value chain. With Ghana being the world’s second-largest producer of cocoa, he urged investors to seize the chance to partner in agro-processing, storage, mechanization, and sustainable agricultural practices, including organic farming.

President Akufo-Addo further emphasized his government’s commitment to green development, seeing it as both a moral imperative and an economic opportunity. He highlighted Ghana’s ambitious goals to increase the share of renewable energy in its energy mix to 10% by 2030, presenting a wealth of opportunities for investment in solar and wind energy.

“Ghana’s doors are wide open to investors who share our vision of a prosperous, industrialized, agriculturally modern, and green Africa,” President Akufo-Addo declared, adding that Ghana offers significant incentives, such as tax breaks and guaranteed feed-in tariffs, to encourage investments in renewable energy.

The President also emphasized the need for improved waste management and recycling, viewing it as an area of immense potential for economic value creation.

In closing, President Akufo-Addo called for China and Africa to deepen their economic cooperation through the Belt and Road Initiative, stressing that partnerships must be built on mutual respect and sustainable development. “The time is ripe for investment in Ghana,” he urged, calling on investors to seize the opportunities in industrialization, agriculture, and green development.

As Ghana continues to pave the way for economic transformation, President Akufo-Addo’s message at the China-Africa Private Sector Cooperation Forum was clear: Ghana is open for business, ready to partner with investors to build a future of shared prosperity and sustainable growth.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Presidency, Republic of Ghana.

Eritrean professional rider Biniam Girmay, of the Intermarché-Wanty team, finished third in yesterday’s Hamburg Classic one-day tour.

In the race, known as the BEMER Classics, which covers 177.5 km, Biniam completed the course without losing time to the race winner, Olav Kooij of Team Visma-Lease a Bike.

Norwegian rider Alexander Kristoff and Belgian rider Jasper Philipsen placed 5th and 7th, respectively.

This year marks the 27th edition of the BEMER Classics, a UCI 1.0 category race.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.

President Isaias Afwerki and his delegation visited several strategic enterprises in Shaanxi Province yesterday.

During their visit, they toured the Shaanxi Yangling Agricultural Research Center, the China Research Institute on Saving Water in Dry Areas, the Chinese Agricultural High Tech Zone, and the Shaanxi Automobile Holding Group—companies that are pioneers of high-tech innovation in China. They also visited LONGi Green Energy, the world’s leading supplier of photovoltaic solutions, where they were provided with detailed briefings.

President Isaias also met and held discussions with the Governor of Shaanxi Province, Mr. Zhao Gang. Mr. Zhao noted the historical and strategic relations between Eritrea and China and expressed his readiness to implement the agreements reached between President Isaias Afwerki and President Xi Jinping.

President Isaias, expressing his appreciation for the warm reception accorded to him and his delegation, emphasized that the relationship between Eritrea and China spans over 60 years and that China’s remarkable development serves as a beacon of hope for the African continent.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.

“The scale of the emergency is shocking, as is the insufficient action being taken to curtail the conflict,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the UN World Health Organization (WHO).

Speaking to reporters from the Red Sea City of Port Sudan, Dr. Tedros said the conflict had so far killed more than 20 000 people – thought that number is likely higher – and sparked the world’s largest internal displacement crisis, displacing over 10 million people inside the country, and forcing another two million to flee to neighbouring countries.

‘Crisis falling on deaf ears’

Since April 2023, Sudan has been embroiled in a deadly conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

Following 500 days of fighting, in addition to the mounting death toll and soaring numbers of internally displaced people, catastrophic seasonal floods have further harmed vital infrastructure, disease outbreaks such as cholera and malaria are on the rise, numerous cases of conflict-related sexual violence have been reported, and famine is occurring in some areas of the country.

As he wrapped up his two-day visit, Dr. Tedros stated, “25.6 million people – over half of Sudan’s population – are expected to face high levels of acute food insecurity.” He also noted that 70 to 80 percent of the country’s health facilities are not operating at full capacity.

Despite these sobering statistics, and WHO’s sounding the alarm since the conflict began while working with partners to meet some of the challenges, “the international community has seemingly forgotten about Sudan and is paying little heed to the conflict tearing it apart, with repercussions in the region,” said Dr. Tedros.

‘The best medicine is peace’

“The conflict has left some 25 million people…in dire need of humanitarian aid. Of these, 14.7 million require urgent assistance for a range of life-saving support, for which the humanitarian sector has requested $2.7 billion dollars, which is less than half funded.”

He called for a range of actions that could save millions of lives: protection of health facilities, health workers and patients – health should not be targeted; sustained access to deliver supplies and aid; scaled-up disease surveillance and vaccination coverage; and “a massive increase in finances from the international community to scale up the response.”

“We are calling on the world to wake up and help Sudan out of the nightmare it is living through,” the UN health chief declared and said an immediate ceasefire is needed, leading to a lasting political solution.

“The best medicine is peace,” he added.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN News.