The government of the island nation of Barbados is targeting Ghana as a gateway to doing business with other countries in the West Africa subregion, particularly Guinea and Nigeria, Kerrie Symmonds, Minister of Tourism and International Transport of Barbados has told the Goldstreet Business.
To consolidate the move, a 12-member business delegation from Barbados was in Ghana last week, to officially form collaborations through a mutually beneficial partnership in developmental areas that will benefit both countries.
The group, from the Barbadian Ministry of Creative Economy, Culture and Sports as well as the Ministry of Tourism and International Transport of Barbados, seeks to leverage on opportunities in cultural and heritage tourism and other sectors of the Ghanaian economy.
Through the visit, both countries have agreed to embark on collaborative marketing by capitalizing on opportunities in different investment areas.
Other areas of collaboration being considered by both countries are in the areas of sports, tourism promotion, cultural exchange, aviation and technical educational training.
The delegation’s visit has also triggered considerations by the government of Barbados to site a diplomatic mission in Accra to further deepen diplomatic relations between the two countries.
“The diplomatic mission which we are soon going to site in Ghana, will serve a couple of countries in the sub region and we are serious on maintaining a beneficial relationship in the region beginning from Ghana”, Minister Kerrie Symmonds noted.
Tourism Minister, Barbara Oteng Gyasi told the delegation that Ghana has position itself through the ‘Year of Return’ to welcome investments from the diaspora and to create a suitable business atmosphere for investors from the diaspora.
She explained that Barbados and Ghana could benefit from each other in terms of tourism and trade promotion in that, both countries already share similar history in human resource and cultural ties.
CEO of the Ghana Tourism Authority, Akwasi Agyeman, indicated that the visit of the delegation is the beginning of more fruitful bilateral ties between both countries.
Discussion about this post