THE Vice President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, has reiterated government’s commitment to transitioning Ghana from an import-dependent economic model to one driven by local production and manufacturing.
She made this known on Tuesday when she hosted a South Korean trade delegation from Hwaseong in Accra, as part of efforts to deepen economic cooperation and attract increased investment into Ghana’s productive sectors.
The delegation was led by officials of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA).
The engagement focused on strengthening trade, investment and industrial collaboration between Ghana and South Korean companies, with the objective of positioning Ghana more competitively within global value chains.
Addressing the delegation, Professor Opoku-Agyemang said Ghana must encourage investment along entire production lines to ensure that more stages of manufacturing take place locally, thereby creating jobs and building domestic capacity.
She noted that Ghana’s youthful population remained one of the country’s greatest strengths and should be viewed by investors as a strategic advantage.
According to the Vice President, partnerships that harness the energy, skills and creativity of young people would drive productivity, innovation and sustainable industrial growth.
She also acknowledged South Korea’s success in developing strong fisheries training institutions and research centres, expressing Ghana’s readiness to learn from those experiences.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang said there were significant opportunities for cooperation in key sectors such as manufacturing, agribusiness, skills development and technology transfer, particularly in areas that promote value addition.
She stressed that partnerships should not be driven solely by profit but should also promote shared prosperity, social development and global peace.
Furthermore, she reaffirmed Ghana’s openness to collaborative, sustainable and mutually beneficial partnerships, describing them as essential to achieving inclusive growth and long-term economic stability.
Members of the South Korean delegation, in turn, expressed interest in exploring investment opportunities in Ghana and strengthening ties with local institutions and businesses.
BY AGNES OPOKU SARPONG
