The maiden edition of the ‘Invest in Central Region’ Summit was organised as part of the national celebration of the 65th Independence Day anniversary to be held in Cape Coast on Sunday, March 6.

The event is expected to provide a platform for professionals and industry players from the private and public sectors to discuss investment opportunities in the region in a bid to explore and optimise its potentials for the common good of the people.

It was also designed to bring Diasporans in the wake of events, to entice them with the different investable areas and to elevate the state of tourism in the region.

Mr Mark OkrakuMantey, the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, said Central Region could not be sidelined in Diasporans investments especially as it gave birth to the Pan-African Historical-Theatre Festival (PANAFEST).

He indicated that it was necessary to push the agenda of investment, as tourism in Ghana was gradually recovering from the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The region, he noted, needed more versatile attractions to complement its tourist sites, especially in the Elmina and Cape Coast castles to boost expert investments as arrivals of Diasporans increased

Giving the keynote address, Mrs Justina Marigold Assan, the Central Regional Minister, said it was important to develop and build initiatives to attract sustainable investments the region because it resonated with the President’s vision to create an enabling environment for the Ghana beyond Aid Agenda.

She bemoaned the fact that accolades such as the ‘citadel of education’, ‘tourism hub’ and ‘home of excellence’ given to the region appeared to be just on paper with nothing much to show for them.

“We can do so more by ourselves to keep earning all the accolades that we deserve but to say that we are one of the poorest regions doesn’t sit so well with me and I think we can begin to change the narrative,” she indicated.

MrsAssan said it was time to articulate, project and package the potentials the region carried for the World to know that Ghana and precisely, the Central Region was a home of excellence and a pacesetter of development.

MrAkwasiAgyeman, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), said his outfit would not relent on its mandate to coordinate with other stakeholders to ensure that the Region’s vast potentials were developed to its peak.

He said GTA would position itself strategically to give enough room to investors to take due advantage of the resources in the region, which he believed would yield greatly for the nation.

Mr Agyeman further indicated that the ‘Year of Return’ and ‘Beyond the Return’ projects had had its successes in the country, adding, “We intend to continue showcasing the interest of the region to attract people in our bid to change the narrative that investments cannot thrive in the region.”

 The Chairman for the event, OsabarimbaKwesi Arthur II, Omanhen on Oguaa Traditional Area, expressed worry over the lack of adequate investments in the region despite its contribution to the country’s history and development. “The region has been the home, where several activities like boxing, film making, Christianity, tourism, politics, began in Ghana, but unfortunately, we are lacking.

“But the time has come for us to move forward,” he stressed, adding that the unenviable status of region as one of the poorest in the Country was unacceptable and invited all hands on deck to change that characterisation.