Ghanaian and European entrepreneurs, national and international financial institutions, Ghana and EU civil servants and Ministers will meet and debate for two days on ways to improve the business climate, de-risk private investments, and therefore to boost private investments for sustainable jobs in Ghana, thereby contributing to the Ghana beyond aid vision.

Mr. Jyrki Katainen, Vice President of the European Commission, responsible for Jobs, Growth, Investments and Competitiveness will attend the Business Forum together with Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice President of the Republic of Ghana. Vice-President Katainen will also explore the economic heart of the capital and will meet with key local, European and international economic players.

The Business Forum will offer for the first time to entrepreneurs the possibility to get first-hand information about the EIP guarantees which will be available for them in Ghana, so to plan ahead and improve their investment planning in the country. A Business Fair in the margins of the Forum will enable European and Ghanaian exhibitors and Chambers of Commerce to showcase their business. Furthermore there will be a possibility to have intensive private contact during Business to Business (B2B) meetings.

The Forum illustrates the new Africa-Europe Alliance for Sustainable Investment and Jobs, announced by the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker in September 2018.

It will illustrate in concrete terms the paradigm shift on the EU-Africa relations and shared interests, and capitalize on the European External Investment Plan financial tools to boost strategic investment and strengthening private sector participation.

The Forum is also fully in line with the Government of Ghana’s agenda “Ghana Beyond Aid”, which aims at unlocking the economic potential and at transforming the Ghanaian economy to be more self-reliant.

The focus of the different sessions, keynote speeches, and interactive debates will be on the priority areas with special relevance for the Ghanaian business context, being sustainable energy and connectivity, financing for micro, small and medium enterprises, and agriculture.

These future-oriented domains will be the backbone of Ghana growth and of durable jobs creation; as Mr. Jyrki Katainen recently stated: “These jobs will enable the young population of Africa to harness their full potential.”