UK High Commissioner Targets Private Sector Growth to Boost Ties

The British High Commissioner to Ghana, Ian Walker, is hoping to ensure more private sector investment during his tenure in Ghana.

This will be part of attempts to strengthen the partnership between Ghana and the UK as well as aligning with the Akufo-Addo administration’s focus on the private sector, he said on the Citi Breakfast Show.

The Commissioner said the reason he was keen to come to Ghana was the strong relationship between Britain and Ghana.

“If we want to make it stronger and better, we need to invest our efforts into it,” Mr. Walker added.

“We already have a very large presence and support a lot of work in health and education but I want to see us do more, frankly [in the private sector]. So more private sector investors, more private sector companies coming on board with the government of Ghana.”

Describing the government as having “high ambition” to complement the nation’s wealth, however, he noted that it was fiscally constrained, hence the need for the ties.

Mr. Walker was keen to add that the partnership will not be exploitative but geared towards the government’s job-creation drive.

“This is not about asset stripping. This not about taking out raw materials. This is about building employment and creating jobs for the many young people in Ghana. When the ambition is clear and the requirement is becoming increasingly clear, it is up to us to make sure that we bring the best solutions we can.”

“As the private sector takes on a bigger role in Ghana and as the government is keen to create the right values, the right sense of responsibility for investors, I believe we have a lot more to do than we are doing at the moment and I would like to make sure we have played a very clear part in that with Ghana should Ghana want to work with us,” the Commissioner said.

Source: Citifmonline