‘Ghana-US trade hub to create jobs’ - Agyekum Kufuor

Director of Heritage Securities Limited (HSL), Mr Edward Agyekum Kufuor, has revealed that his outfit’s partnership with the United States Friendship and Economic Development (US-FED) Group is to help achieve the job creation drive of government.

Speaking in an interview with Today shortly after the launch of Ghana Trade Hub in Accra, Mr Kufuor, explained that the partnership was an important one in Ghana’s quest to move from aid to trade in its bilateral relations with her development partners.

He further indicated that the Trade Hub would help facilitate growth of small businesses through their services, which include matching businesses with prospective investors in the US to drive the economy and provide jobs.

Mr Kufuor maintained that trade, especially through the export of value-added Ghanaian products, was what would make the rest of the world hear about Ghana, instead of aid or handouts.

“What is going to help our economy grow is when we’re able to foster these entrepreneurs and small businesses, encourage them and provide the environment where they can grow,” Director of HSL noted.

Mr Kufuor said the Trade Hub would also address some of the issues that often come when start-ups and entrepreneurs try to access finances as it would ensure that their ideas and projects are viable and link them to the appropriate investors.

According to him, the Ghana-US Trade Hub will provide facilitation services for Ghanaian companies seeking to trade with the United States and vice versa.

Mr Kufuor further explained that Heritage Securities Limited, which is now a member of the US FED Group Consortium, will provide services including advisory, consulting, facilitation of trade, project and commerce development and financing to non-US public and private companies interested in doing business with US companies.

On his part, Executive Chairman of HSL, Mr Gideon A. Quist, said the services of the Trade Hub is opened to all companies interested in doing business with US companies adding that clients could walk in and apply for trade finance, project finance and anything that has to do with the U.S financing of trade and business project.

He revealed that financing of projects in Ghana was very difficult due to the huge amounts involved, a challenge which would be addressed with the Trade Hub as it would bring in revenue.

“We’re looking at project financing at any amount you can think of; the cost of borrowing from the US is also low and that gives the businessmen the advantage of low interest on how much they invest in the business,” he said.

The FED is also ready to establish trade instruments for importation of any items, Mr Quist hinted, and urged businesses to take advantage of the Hub as they did not need cash capital to work with.