Dr Prince Kofi Kludjeson, Executive Chairman of the Volta Development Forum (VDF) has called on the private sector and Ghanaians at large to help encourage the growth and prosperity of the Volta Region.

He said the Volta Region continued to hold on to its place among the best of the regions, and must not be thrown off its developmental path by negativity.

Dr. Kludjeson who was speaking at the media launch of the Fifth Volta Trade and Investment Fair in Ho, asked the people of the Region to ignore outside opinion and focus instead on development.

He said there were some ignorance as far as the Region and its prospects were concerned, and asked the people to remain positive as they were "well organised," and of peaceful living.

"Let those who want to do politics do their politics. Let's ignore what is going on in other Regions. Volta is the best among the best and we all must carry the spirit of Volta high.

"There is a lot of naivety in Ghana. There are a lot of things that we seem not to appreciate in this Region, but there is a lot that is going on and happening for us.

"We must focus on what we can do to affect the most in the region. There is no problem in Volta. There are no chieftaincy disputes, and the people are well organized," Dr Kludjeson stated.

He asked Voltarians to continue to hold on to the longstanding values of tradition and religion in their quest to develop as there were potentials and with a Regional Minister who was an Industrialist, the Assemblies must pursue Government's industrialization agenda with fervor.

He said the VDF had embarked on a project to place Wi-Fi in all districts in the Region and would support the expansion of the hand sanitizer production unit of the University for Health and Allied Sciences' School of Pharmacy, as part of its first industries in the region.

The VDF is also undertaking a district farming initiative to provide raw materials for industry.

The two-week fair is on the theme "Promoting Sustainable Trade and Investment" with focus on agribusiness, tourism and ICT and would run from November 15 to the 28 at the Ho sports stadium, and expected to attract some 500 exhibitors and over 8,000 visitors.

Dr. Archibald Yao Letsa, Volta Regional Minister, launching the fair, said the success of the previous event confirmed that the initiative was a well-positioned to showcase the investment potentials of the Region.

He said "rigorous" industrialization remained key to Volta's progress, and the government was looking to partner the private sector to place the region on a productive end. "Together we can improve trade and industrialize this region," he said.