Stanley Austin, a partner at Africonomie, a U.K based communications firm, has called on investment managers, including pension fund administrators, to look beyond traditional investment instruments and proactively engage local, regional and international investment managers to create outstanding investment products.

Mr Austin, who was speaking at the media launch of Africonomie’s 2014 Institutional Investment Series yesterday in Accra, said implementing investment strategies that would maximize the growth potential of assets under management was crucial to the growth of Ghana’s economy.

Slated from 4-6 June, this year, the forum dubbed: “The Ghana Pensions and Sovereign Funds Investment Forum (GPSFIF), aims at bringing together high-profile delegates from Zambia, Zimbabwe, London, New York, Ghana and Dubai, among others.

“It is exclusively designed for selected senior executives and places emphasis on attracting an exclusive network of senior practitioners to discuss contemporary investment, management and administration issues that have impact on pensions and sovereign funds investments in Ghana.”

The Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Adu Anane Antwi expressed optimism that discussions at the forum would provide valuable insights into issues impacting the management of pensions and sovereign funds, as well as the growth of real estate and equity investments in Ghana.

He said “knowledge of the capital market especially is very low in the country and that directly affects the number of Ghanaians investing in the equity and bonds market.”

He stressed that “there is therefore the need for regulators and operators to collectively step up the education drive to educate investors on how to maximize their investments using the capital market as an investment avenue.” Kojo Yankah, a UK-based partner of Africonomie, said the institutional investment forum formed part of a series of tailored transatlantic events designed to connect Africa pensions, sovereign funds and investment managers with institutional investors, particularly in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Martin Ofori, Africonomie’s partner in Ghana, outlining the achievement of the UK-based communications firm over the years, noted that recent market activities by the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority “had increased investor appetite, as well as enhanced the global perception of Nigeria’s investment landscape”.

The forum was endorsed by Laud Senanu, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA), who pointed out that the forum would be of immense benefit to the regulatory authority.