The World Trade Centre (WTC), Accra, has embarked on a trade and investment mission to Zimbabwe, Southern Africa.
The delegation led by chairman of the WTC, Togbe Afede XIV, is made up of business leaders with interests in finance, oil and gas, mineral exploration, aviation and power and were accompanied by Her Excellency, Pavelyn Tendai Musaka, the Zimbabwean High Commissioner in Ghana.
The trip, the first trade mission by the WTC, Accra to an African country and the 20th since its establishment is aimed at improving trade and investment between Ghana and Zimbabwe, with the goal of bolstering inter-Africa trade in general.
The delegation was received at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe Airport, Harare by Ghana’s Ambassador to that country His Excellency Eric Odoi-Anim and Chief Fortune Chirumbira, President of the Council of Chiefs in Zimbabwe.
Togbe Afede XIV bemoaned the low levels of inter-Africa trade and Africa’s volume of global trade which accounts for less than two per cent of total global trade, in spite of the fact that Africa accounts for more than a fifth of the world’s population. He therefore stressed the need for intra-Africa trade to ensure the rapid socio-economic development of the continent.
He said there was the need to eschew selfishness amongst African countries and to engender collaboration in what he called the one+one = three effect.
He commended Zimbabwe for the smooth transition of power from former President Robert Mugabe to President Emmerson Munangagwa which was admirable.
Togbe Afede XIV also commended the Zimbabwean government’s “Rapid Results Initiative” which was described by President Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo as a major step towards bringing Zimbabwe back to the level of its immediate neighbours.
Dr Michael Bimha, Minister of Industry Commerce and Enterprise Development, Harare, was grateful to the delegation for choosing Zimbabwe as the first destination for WTC, Accra, trade missions in Africa.
He agreed with Togbe Afede XIV that as a first step signaling Zimbabwe’s readiness to be open to the world, “the government of Zimbabwe should work with the private sector to embrace the world trade centre concept to announce Zimbabwe to the world.”
