The Ghana Embassy in Bamako, Mali, in conjunction with the Association of Ghana Industries, has held a nine-day Solo Trade Exhibition of made-in-Ghana products in Bamako, a statement from the Embassy said Tuesday.
The statement, sent to the GNA, said the exhibition, which ran from April 29-May 7, was part of its trade promotion activities in
Mali. It is also towards the enhancement of commercial activities between the two countries.
The exhibition, which was formally opened by Mr Donald Adabere Adabre, Ghana’s Ambassador to Mali, was well patronized by various captains of industry and traders from both Ghana and Mali.
Eighteen participating companies exhibited products such as electrical cables, wood, plastic products, textiles and jewelleries, cosmetics, beverages, beads and handicrafts.
Mr Adabre said the Solo Trade Exhibition signified the beginning of efforts aimed at building on the political foundation bequeathed by
the founding fathers in the early 1960s, by way of the Ghana-Guinea-Mali Union.
He stated that such trade exhibitions were what would propel the strategic relationship between the two countries to higher levels and
for direct benefit to their people.
Mr Adabre said Ghana was one of Mali’s most important trading partners and indicated that in 2009, Ghana placed 15th on the Malian overseas imports league table out of the 132 countries recorded.
Within the sub-region, Ghana was the fifth exporting country in terms of value and volume, behind Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, Benin and
Togo.
The Ambassador also said Ghana enjoyed a significant margin of favourable balance of trade with Mali and, therefore, encouraged the
Ghanaian business community to build on that momentum to better the existing record.
He said inter-regional trade and south-south cooperation were the key to unlocking the huge economic potential of Africa.
Earlier, Nana Owusu-Afari, the President of the Association of Ghana Industries, told participants that by the Solo Trade Exhibition
companies were being offered huge opportunities to explore and develop potential markets existing in both Ghana and Mali.
He called on governments in the West African sub-region to provide the requisite support, specifically by addressing the various
challenges facing the private sector and by creating a conducive environment for businesses to thrive and expand beyond national borders.
The president of the Malian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr Jeamille Bittar, said the event would boost economic and business ties
between Ghana and Mali for the mutual benefit of their two respective peoples.
He stated that the objective of the exhibition was to assemble economic operators to explore ways and means to further promote the
commercial relations between the countries.
Mr Bittar invited the Ghanaian exhibitors to participate in an upcoming Malian International Trade Fair scheduled for November, 2011.