Mr Eric Opoku Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister, has urged business concerns in the region to partner the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) to exploit the investment opportunities to boost its socio-economic development.

Mr Opoku gave the advice at a Regional sensitisation forum on investment organised by the GIPC in Sunyani attended by 140 participants that comprising businessmen, planning and budget officers from the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), the municipal and district assemblies (MDAs).

It provided highlights on the implementation of the New GIPC Act of 2013 (Act 865) and engaged the RCC and the MDAs to encourage Ghanaian businesses within the region to register with the centre to take advantage of the incentives provided in the investment Act.

The forum also aimed at promoting investment opportunities in the region and also briefed participants on the opportunities for them in submitting projects and advantages of going into joint ventures.

Mr Opoku expressed concern about the few investment projects in the region, which has enormous opportunities in agriculture, commence, services and mining, agro- processing and agribusiness.

He said the GIPC is responsible for the encouragement and promotion of investment to provide for the creation of an attractive framework and a transparent, predictable and facilitating environment for investment in the country.

Mr Opoku entreated indigenous Ghanaian companies to take advantage of the provision in the local content law, which requires foreign investors to cede a minimum of 10 per cent share to local companies as partners.

He asked MDAs to design development plans for their local businesses to create conducive atmosphere for their survival and expansion through the necessary partnerships.

Mr Opoku expressed the need for the MDAs to identify development projects which could be comfortably marketed by the GIPC as public-private partnerships to enhance development in their communities.

Mr. George Asafo-Agyei, Principal Investment Promotion officer of GIPC encouraged Ghanaian-owned businesses to register with the centre and benefit from the incentives enumerated in the GIPC Act.

He said GIPC seeks to induce concrete Foreign Direct Investments into Ghana and pursue the promotion of direct partnerships between local and foreign investors as well as promote specific investment projects on the international market.

The centre also provides direct promotion support to identified local investment project sponsors to solicit international as well as local investment collaborations, Mr Asafo-Agyei added.