Ghanaian president vows to encourage Nigerian investors

Ghanaian President John Atta-Mills has promised that his government would provide “a level playing field” for Nigerian investors, a statement from the Nigerian presidency said.

“I want to assure Nigerian investors that we will maintain a level-playing field for them in Ghana, because they have contributed to the growth of our economy through the provision of jobs and opened up the country,” he said during talks with President Musa Yar’Adua.

In the past few years, hundreds of Nigerian investors, driven away from home by poor infrastructure and high cost of doing business, have berthed in Ghana, less than an hour’s flight from Lagos.

Atta-Mills thanked Yar’Adua for the role he played which cooled down tempers during Ghanaian elections last December.

“I will always remember that when we had challenges, you came to our aid,” he said without giving details.

Earlier, Yar?Adua said the two English-speaking countries had leadership responsibilities on the African continent.

“We will do all that is possible to ensure that the excellent relations between us are enhanced, for the benefit of our people and the continent,” he said.

The Ghanaian leader will remain in Nigeria till Monday, when he will attend the mid-year summit of the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Nigeria and Ghana are key members of the 15-nation regional bloc.

Ghana, best known for its cocoa and gold and also the home country of former UN secretary general Kofi Annan, became Africa’s first independent nation in 1957.

Credit: AFP