The President of Malta today continues her State Visit in Ghana, where this morning, she addressed a Business Forum in Accra. President Coleiro Preca said that the Business Forum is a tangible opportunity to reaffirm Malta’s interest in nurturing stronger trade relations, collaborations and partnerships, between the two countries and the respective business communities.
In her address, President Coleiro Preca welcomed the diverse representation from the Maltese business community present in Ghana. A strong business delegation is accompanying the President of Malta on this visit to this West African country. The businesses represented come from diverse sectors, which include finance, retail, consultancy, communications, specialised construction sectors, manufacture, engineering, IT, healthcare, aviation, pharmaceuticals, tourism, water treatment, waste management, logistics, transport, and education, among others.
President Coleiro Preca encouraged the entrepreneurs to utilize “the ability of exploring innovative strategies to create and develop trade initiatives for collaboration, to enrich your sectors, to create job opportunities and to support the prosperity of both countries”.
The President also encouraged the business community to think outside the box, saying, “I am convinced that both our countries will benefit from all opportunities that you can muster together, for potential bilateral trade, joint ventures, and partnerships”.
President Coleiro Preca showed full confidence in the business community, and further affirmed, “I am convinced that it will be your determination, your enthusiasm, your resilience and your innovation, that will bring about tangible results for mutual prosperity”.
The President acknowledged that Ghana is ideally situated in the African continent as a business partner. Ghana is a developing regional hub for innovation, across West African markets, and a potential gateway to the countries of ECOWAS, which brings together sixteen West African countries.
President Coleiro Preca pointed out the similarity between the two countries, as Malta too is a hub and is perfectly situated, as a gateway to the wider Mediterranean, Europe, the Baltics and even beyond.
Malta has distinguished itself as an international Centre of Excellence in aviation services, in logistics and in transhipment. These commercial facilities could offer an essential stepping-stone for Ghana’s 5 Billion Euro import and export trade, with the European Union.
President Coleiro Preca highlighted a number of sectors where Malta has an excellent international reputation, namely Education and Health Care, among others. With regards the former, Coleiro Preca noted that both Malta and Ghana are committed to the development of Human Capital.
President Coleiro Preca highlighted Tourism as another important industry for Malta and Ghana. “Tourism is an economic operation which, when properly developed, brings immediate prosperity, and also creates, through its nature of people to people contact, an environment of acknowledgement and respect for diverse cultures”.
President Coleiro Preca elaborated on the fact that Tourism for Malta is a longstanding economic pillar, and stated “Malta has developed the essential infrastructure, and has invested, and continues to invest heavily, in the needed vocational and tertiary education and training, for the industry to have the necessary professionals for the sector”.
President Coleiro Preca encouraged the Ghanaian authorities, to hasten the process in organising the second meeting of the Malta Ghana Joint Technical Committee in Accra. She also encouraged the respective national entities for Trade Promotion, and the respective Chambers of Commerce, to keep up the momentum initiated during the visit to Ghana.
The President gave importance to another milestone in Malta’s relations with Ghana that is the signing of an Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union, which will create new and dynamic relations between Ghana and the EU.
President Coleiro Preca said she looks forward to seeing the endeavours of the business community bear fruit following this Business Forum and said that these were exciting times for businesses to widen their horizons, thus ensuring the future prosperity of their businesses and our nations.
At the close of the Business Forum, two Memoranda of Understanding were signed, one between Trade Malta and the Association of Ghanaian industries, and the other, between the Ghanaian Chamber of Commerce and the Maltese Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry.
The President of Malta is accompanied by Hon. Carmelo Abela, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion.