South African High Commissioner to Ghana, Lulu Xingwana is persuading Ghanaian businesses to put away their fears and invest in the South African economy in order to deepen trade ties between the two countries.

It has emerged that 32 percent of Ghanaian business owners are unwilling to set up their enterprises in South Africa owing to the xenophobic attacks on both local and foreign companies.

While 20 percent of Ghanaian investors are afraid of the "insecurity and discrimination" in South Africa, another 20 percent declined expanding their ventures to the South African market due to the countries “unfavourable taxation policy”.

These were contained in a presentation by Brand South Africa at a stakeholder consultation forum organised by the Ghana-South Africa Business Chamber and the South African High Commission Accra on “Strengthening trade ties between Ghana and South Africa”.

Reacting to these concerns in an interview with www.ghanaweb.com, the High Commissioner said inasmuch as there have been insecurity issues in South Africa, the large size of the economy presents numerous trade opportunities for investors.

She said the South African government has waged war on acts of hooliganism as suspected individuals or group of persons are being arrested and prosecuted.

“Our government has made it a policy that they will protect foreign nationals in South Africa wherever they are. They have released the police to go and patrol those areas sensitive or hotspots. They have deployed soldiers to go and protect foreign nationals wherever there are complains about such attacks,” Lulu Xingwana maintained.

Ghana South Africa business relationship ‘solid’ - South African Ambassador

There are currently over 180 South African owned companies operating in Ghana, the South African High Commissioner to Ghana, Lulu Xingwana has disclosed.

This, according to her is an evidence that the business ties between Ghana and South Africa is strong and an indication that the two countries are capable growing each other’s economy through trade.

“Today we have over 180 South African companies that have invested in Ghana and a number of Ghanaians have gone to South Africa and have set up their businesses there. And people to people, we have a very strong relationship as you can see,” she noted.