Government has been asked to consider renovating the Ghana International Trade Fair Centre at La, Accra as part of its plans to promote industrialization in the country.
Consultant at Afro-Arab Group Ghana Limited, Alhassan Abdallah Musah, made the call in an interview with BUSINESS GUIDE on the sidelines of a media briefing on an upcoming trade exhibition in Turkey, saying the move will make the facility become a truly international trade fair site.
The business fair is being organized by the Afro-Arab Group of Companies in partnership with the Joudy Group International for all industries in Turkey between March and July 2017, and Ghanaian companies are encouraged to participate at a rate of $400 per entity.
According to him, the current status of the Trade Fair Centre is pathetic and that the facility does not encourage trade shows even though the rationale behind the establishment of the centre is to boost trade through fairs.
In the opinion of Mr. Musah, the Trade Fair Centre has in recent past become a “white elephant” which defeats government’s claims of creating an enabling environment for the business community.
He said government should seek private partnership in redeveloping the centre built in 1967 in order to provide an attractive environment for international trade shows in Ghana.
He also appealed to government to consider supporting private sector in organizing international trade fairs in order to boost investment activities in the country in line with President Akufo-Addo’s industrialization agenda for Ghana.
According to him, government should begin to follow the examples of countries like Egypt and Turkey where the state organizes trade exhibitions free of charge for the business community or at subsidized rate for participants.
The Afro-Arab Group of Companies is a private company established in 2010 with its headquarters at Accra New Town.
The group accordingly has about nine subsidiaries operating in different parts of Ghana.
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