GCB Bank, on Wednesday, presented a cheque for GHC50,000 to support the upcoming Fifth Volta Trade and Investment Fair.

Mr. Francis Nyarko, Volta Regional Manager of the GCB, said the bank considered its economic incubation mandate and thus responded to a request to support the event.

He said Management of the bank recognized the viability of the fair, and would use its platforms to help enhance development within the Region.

"Management saw a business sense in what you are doing. We were set up by the leaders of the country to support businesses, and we are ready to partner you and will work with you.

"We are here to spur up the investors in the Region to be able to grow their businesses for our mutual benefit," the Regional Manager said.

He noted the publicity and the enthusiasm around the fair, which he said was in line with the Government's agenda to create jobs, and that it was an initiative that must be replicated in all regions.

"It's a call in the right direction, and it's quite innovative. There are a lot of resources in the Region that people may not know. But this fair will bring it out and let people know that there are good things here in Volta to follow," Mr. Nyarko noted.

Dr. Archibald Yao Letsa, Regional Minister who also chairs the event's planning committee, receiving the cheque, said the fair gathered sensation as it drew closer, and it is expected to surpass expectations.

He was therefore thankful to the Bank for the support, also noting the harmonious relationship it maintained with the business community in the Region.

Dr. Letsa said Vice President Alhaji Aliu Bawumia would perform the official opening ceremony, which would be attended by Regional Ministers from across the country, and also ambassadors from about twenty countries including the US, Netherlands, Israel, and Nigeria.

The President of the ECOWAS Bank was also expected to grace the ceremony.

Rev. Steven Adjah Tetteh, Regional Economic Planning Officer, said the GCB would partake in a forum on financing agribusiness in Volta, which would be held as part of the event.

Management of the Bank also announced plans to send its small business Unit to the fair, to help promote the Government's industrialization agenda including the 1D1F.

Interplast Ghana Limited, major producer of plastics, had also supported the fair, and would be demonstrating its agricultural irrigation systems at the event.

The Volta Trade and Investment Fair is an initiative of the Regional Coordinating Council, the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Association of Ghana Industries.

The fair is on the theme; "Promoting Sustainable Trade and Investment" and runs from November 15 to the 28 at the Ho Sports Stadium, with an official opening ceremony scheduled for the 17th.

The event is expected to attract over 8,000 visitors from across the country, and would exhibit the investment potentials in the Region.