LET'S RESUSCIATE COLLAPSED INDUSTRIES (PAGE 33, JAN 15, 2010)

THE immediate past Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Prof Stephen Adei, has appealed to the government to help resuscitate collapsed businesses in the country.
He said for the fear of supporting their opponents governments have tended to run down businesses suspected to be owned by members of the opposition, adding that the practice had lasted for the past 50 years.
Prof Adei said this when he launched the Opportunities 2010 Conference, which provides the platform for the cross fertilisation of business ideas.
The conference which is slated for February 24-25, 2010 is on the theme “identifying Ghana’s Business Opportunities for Sustainable Wealth Creation”.
The conference will bring together high profile businessmen and women, entrepreneurs and professionals to share ideas on how to improve on the business environment in the country.
The speakers are expected to make knowledge based projections and to fully explore all the business opportunities in the various sectors of the economy for 2010.
Prof Adei said Ghana could generate a 15 per cent of growth rate per annum which would intend double the income rate per head in five years.
He urged the government to make a deliberate attempt to create worth in the country in order to increase opportunities for the unemployed youth in the country.
He said there was the need to also create a better environment for personal and business security in the country to help the growth of Ghanaian business in t he country.
A Director at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Mr Francis Kusi, said the conference would serve as a platform to share ideas in the business sector to enhance the growth of businesses in Ghana.
He said government would continue to encourage and help the business sector to grow.
A representative of Zain Telecommunication, Ransford Mills, said in the era of the global financial crisis there was a need for brainstorming to find solutions to problems in the economy.
Speakers for the conference include, Prof Stephen Adei, formerly of GIMPA; Mr Patrick Awuah, Ashesi University; Mr Kwame Pianim, Economist; Ms Jean Mensa, IEA; Ms Joyce Aryee, Ghana Chamber of Mines; Mr Philip Sowah, Zain Ghana and Sir Richard Branson of Virgin Group.