On the 13th of November 2011 Seva concluded a weeklong business mission to Ghana with a delegation of Ghanaian Diaspora members in The Netherlands. The objective of the mission was to stimulate investors (of Ghanaian origin) to explore investment opportunities in Ghana.
Ghana is currently the fastest growing economy in the world. Gold, crude oil and cacao are important sources of income, but the number one factor making difference for the poor is money remitted by the Ghanaian Diaspora. While the majority of the remittances are used for consumptive expenditure, an increasing number of small business are financed trough remittances. The delegation had an intensive program with, among others, holders of small businesses, Diaspora members who already established businesses and are settled in Ghana. A seminar was organized to learn more about “doing business in Ghana”, in particular the seminar focused on the legal requirements, the permits, the tax structure and banks (loans). An interesting interactive session was organized with borrowers of the micro finance program of Mozaiek Foundation (financed by Seva) giving first hand information from the perspective of the poor about their economic emancipation in society. A visit was also paid to the mountainous area of At Adipa where King Safrotwe Kakradae IV (himself a professional from the Diaspora and studied in Delft) initiated different innovative activities for the poor. These are among others the Kofi Anan Vocational and Technical institute, rural commercial toilets and micro finance.
On the 9th December 2011, at the Seva Business Club, a presentation will be given about the trade mission to Ghana.
