MCI Holds Workshop for Kumasi Technical Committee on Investment

MCI held a training workshop for the Kumasi Technical Committee on Investment (KTCI) October 16-17 in Kumasi, Ghana, as part of the Regional Partnership to Promote Trade and Investment in Sub-Saharan Africa, an MCI initiative funded by the Government of Finland. The KTCI comprises representatives from the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Association of Ghana Industries, Ghana Association of Micro Finance Companies, Millennium Villages Project and MCI.

The objectives of the workshop were multifold: to assist the committee in completing the current investment profiles and determining the next set of profiles; to plan for the proposed Kumasi Investment Day and Donor Roundtable; to build the capacity of the committee to identify local businesses for potential joint ventures; and to develop proposals for sourcing funds for development projects. The training workshop was facilitated by Rene Samek, MCI’s Investment Targeting Expert, and organized by Abenaa Akuamoah-Boateng, MCI’s Regional Coordinator for West and Central Africa, and Bennet Elvis Niboi, MCI’s Investment Promotion Advisor for Kumasi.

The first day of the workshop featured two sessions. The first session focused on the program agenda and logistics for the proposed Kumasi Investment Day and Donor Roundtable, which is scheduled for the first quarter of 2013. The focus of the second session was to discuss the current investment profiles, which address affordable housing, bamboo production and processing, oil palm cultivation and the development of a multi-story car park facility. On the second day, the team completed discussions on the investment profiles and agreed on the next set of profiles. The facilitator also took the committee through the steps in identifying and preparing local businesses for joint ventures with potential investors. The second session of the day, joined by representatives from the Ghana Education Service and MCI’s Social Sector, focused on building the capacity of the committee to develop proposals for sourcing funds for development projects. At the end of the workshop, participants expressed their appreciation for the training and reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the MCI project.