The summit is being organised collaboratively between the UK Government, the UK-Ghana Chamber of Commerce (UKGCC), the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Ghana Investment Promotion Council.

The investment summit, which will have President Akufo-Addo as the special guest of honour, will also be attended by the UK Minister for Trade and Export Promotion, Baroness Fairhead.

A press statement issued by the British High Commission in Ghana on Thursday, October 11, this year said the summit would hold high-level discussions on trade and investment to further nearly £1bn of trade and foreign direct investments (FDIs) opportunities currently under consideration in the infrastructural, industrial and manufacturing sectors.

Along with the investment summit, the UK and Ghana have also established a new bi-annual ministerial dialogue known as the UK-Ghana Business Council which meets for the first time this week and will be hosted by Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and the UK Minister for Africa, Harriett Baldwin.

Similarly, the statement said, the government of Ghana and the UK had launched a new strategic partnership focused on economic development, job creation, investment and trade.

This new strategic partnership signals a step change in UK-Ghana trading relationship, one that builds on common values and equally shared goals.

Expectations

Ahead of the summit, the British High Commissioner, Mr Iain Walker, said: “The UK has been working in close partnership with Ghana to revitalise our strong trading relationship and ensure it advances our shared prosperity goals.”

In addition, he said: “We share a common history, but I want to focus on how the UK and Ghana are changing to meet our shared vision of the future, one that builds upon our already strong bilateral partnership.”

“I am delighted that our joint ambition to boost two-way trade and investment has led to a new strategic partnership and an investment summit. I am confident that the best of the UK private sector can accelerate President Akufo-Addo’s Ghana Beyond Aid agenda and position the UK as an indispensable trading partner for years to come,” Mr Walker stated.

Mr Tony Burkson, the CEO of the UK-Ghana Chamber of Commerce, for his part, said: “As Ghana continues to grow as a nation, so does its immense potential to be a beacon of trade and prosperity within the region,” adding that “this summit is a great opportunity for British businesses to discover that potential and discuss first hand with the government of Ghana and Ghanaian businesses partnerships for investment”.

UK-Ghana Investment Summit

The UK-Ghana Investment Summit is an event created by the UKGCC to promote Ghana as an investment destination for British companies and investors.

The first event took place in the UK on July 22, 2017, and was attended by over 250 senior business professionals and leaders, followed by the second UK-Ghana Investment Summit hosted in London on April 17, 2018.

That event brought together leading thinkers and decision-makers from different sectors and industries from both Ghana and the UK.