President John Dramani Mahama has pitched Ghana as the ideal gateway to Africa for Jamaican businesses, urging investors to take advantage of the continent’s vast market under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as the two countries seek to deepen economic ties.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness after bilateral talks during his State Visit to Jamaica, President Mahama said stronger private sector collaboration would be critical to transforming the growing political goodwill between the two nations into tangible economic benefits.
He stressed that Ghana and Jamaica must leverage their respective strengths to create prosperity for their people.
“We have no option than to work together, bring our comparative advantages together to be able to create the prosperity that our people deserve,” he said.
The President revealed that discussions with Prime Minister Holness centred on connecting Ghanaian and Jamaican business leaders to stimulate cross-investment and unlock new commercial opportunities.
“I think that that is one sure way to begin cross investments between our countries. There are many opportunities that exist here in Jamaica, and there are many opportunities that exist in Ghana,” he noted.
President Mahama said both countries share the ambition of becoming economic hubs within their respective regions and can work together to facilitate investment, trade, and the movement of people and services.
“Both of us have the vision of creating our nations into hubs for our subregion, and so hub to hub, we can cooperate both in investment and in terms of movement of people and services between Accra and Jamaica,” he said.
As part of his visit, the President said he would meet Jamaican business leaders during a working lunch and a visit to the port to showcase investment opportunities in Ghana.
He highlighted the African Continental Free Trade Area as one of Ghana’s biggest attractions for investors, noting that companies established in Ghana can access one of the world’s largest free trade markets.
“You are able to produce or manufacture in one country and export to the other 54 countries. That creates a market of 1.4 billion people with a GDP of almost $3 trillion,” President Mahama said.
He added that the opportunities should not be one-sided, encouraging Ghanaian businesses to also explore investments in Jamaica, particularly in real estate, construction, manufacturing and other sectors.
President Mahama said expanding two-way investment would strengthen economic relations, create jobs and reinforce the longstanding historical and cultural bonds between Ghana and Jamaica.
