Ghana and Malaysia Cooperation deserves nothing less than an expanded scope of relationship especially in trade and investments, says Charge d’Affaires of the High Commission of Malaysia, Abdullah Maamor Ibrahim.
He made this statement at the Ghana-Malaysia Economic Forum 2015 in Accra on Thursday December 17, organised by Diplomatic Call in collaboration with the High Commission of Malaysia and the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
Built on the theme, “Strengthening Trade and Business Relations between Ghana and Malaysia”, the forum sought to consolidate the economic relationship between Ghana and Malaysia.
Diplomatic relations between the two countries which is deeply rooted in mutual respect dates back as far as 1957. As a result of the strong diplomatic relationship, Malaysia stands committed to expanding the scope of bilateral corporation with Ghana especially in trade and investment.
“Ladies and gentlemen, Malaysia stands committed to develop a more multi-faceted relationship as well as well as expand the scope of economic bilateral corporation especially on trade and investment in Ghana especially sectors such as Oil and Gas, Palm oil, energy, agriculture and logistical services” Abdullah Maamor Ibrahim said.
Also, he heralded the positive transformation of the Ghanaian economy and the successes that both countries have chalked in technological partnership especially in the area of Information Communication and Technology and the oil and gas sector
Furthermore, he expressed the need for the government of Ghana to work around the clock to smoothing and also put in place friendly business policies to create an enabling environment for foreign investors, “Malaysia hopes that the government of Ghana will continue to facilitate assist and uphold business friendly policies to foreign investors in Ghana”.
Despite the current economic challenges facing both countries due to the fall of prices of commodities on the international market and weak exchange currencies, the total trade between Ghana and Asia over the years has been tremendous.
Abdullah Maamor Ibrahim mentioned that, there is the need for both countries to increase trade and therefore called for the promotion, assisting and educating the business community in both countries to strengthened their relationship
Nonetheless, he highlighted the huge market potential that the internet community offers for businesses. However he advised businesses to tread cautiously so not to fall prey to internet fraudster. Also, he pointed out the need for countries to fight scammers in order not to derail investor confidence
“In this ICT age, the internet provides a huge market for all to explore business opportunities and trade beyond country borders. Nevertheless, there are also unscrupulous individuals and syndicates that take advantage of the internet and scam business people. If scammers are left unchecked, they will rip-off investor confidence in a country”.
Lastly, he indicated that under the South –South Corporation, Malaysia is commitment to supporting Ghana in providing technological training assistance as well as offer scholarship to students to excel in academics through the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme (MTCP). The MTCP shares Malaysia’s development experiences and expertise with other developing countries.
The programme forms part of the commitment of the Malaysian Government towards the promotion of technical cooperation among developing countries, strengthening of regional and sub-regional cooperation, as well as nurturing collective self-reliance among developing countries. It was put on record that over 250 Ghanaians have already benefited from the program since 1982. He further called on the government of Ghana to encourage more Ghanaians to enrol on the MTCP.
By: Desmond Frimpong.
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