Ho, Nov. 23, GNA - The 2010 Volta trade, investment and

cultural fair kick-start slowly on Monday with many stands and

pavilions empty but with strong indications that the 14-day event

would be bigger than the debut in 2009. Organizers of the event said the about 250 stands and pavilions

were over-subscribed. The Ghana News Agency's (GNA) visit saw exhibitors at the

opening still busily setting up, while some have just arrived to

mount their stands. The 2010 Fair, would be spiced with culture, to reflect the mix

and linkage between the economic and tourism potentials of the

region. Mrs Sabah Zita Okaikoi, Minister for Tourism, who opened the

Fair, said it would help to mobilize the numerous potentials of the

region to stimulate growth, job creation and wealth generation. She noted with regret that the numerous tourism potentials in

the region have not been developed to attract tourists. Mr Joseph Amenowode, Volta Regional Minister called on the

people to "rise up to the challenge of marshalling all resources for

their development". He called on the private sector to play a "key role in the socio

-economic development of the region". Mr Amenowode said since the 2009 debut fair, Volta Region

had been a remarkable investment destination, especially in areas

of agro-industries, the hospitality industry and salt production. He

hoped this year's Fair would raise more investor interest. Dr Bernard Glover, a businessman, said the Fair should have

something new to show and challenged the region to develop an

automated gari-processing unit. Dumega Raymond Okudzeto, Founder of the Volta

Foundation, a NGO in development advocacy, said one did not

have to be in government to start and to promote business ideas. Mr Edward Ashong-Lartey, Director, Promotions and Public

Relations of the Ghana Investments Promotion Council (GIPC),

said the Council would create a desk at the Fair to link up business

people in partnership dialogue and also to do business profiling. Mr Alex Segbefia, Deputy Chief of Staff at the President's

Office said the Fair was a non-partisan approach to seek the

region's development. Mr Ibrahim Adam, Board Chairman of the Agricultural

Development Bank (ADB), lead sponsors of the Fair, and said the

Bank was ready to do business with the Region in all areas. Mr Adam, who gave GH¢10,000 to the Fair Planning

Committee, urged the people to keep the bank's branches in the

region busy with investment proposals. Products and items, which were generating interest at the Fair,

include a gari processing unit manufactured jointly by the Kwame

Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and the

Ho Polytechnic and a Fruits extracting unit made by the Gratis

Foundation in Ho. Other collaborators for the Fair, being organized under the aegis

of the Volta Regional Coordinating Council (VRCC), are the Ho

Polytechnic, National Board for Small-Scale Industries (NBSSI),

Volta Regional House of Chiefs, the District and Municipal

Assemblies with the Netherlands Development Agency (SNV) as

the coordinating consultants.