Ronde tafel Ghana met president Kufuor

Toespraak | 22-10-2008

First I would like to extend a warm welcome to your Excellency, president Kufuor and your delegation and to the representatives of the Dutch business community. It is an honor to host you here in Amsterdam, the financial centre of the Netherlands and home to the stock exchange.

Also, I would like to offer my condolances on the recent unexpected death of minister Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu. He will be missed - not only today, because he would have been here with us - but also in the time to come, because he was a man of great merit for Ghana and Ghana's partners.

Your Excellency,

The world is experiencing turbulent weeks in the financial sector. With the recapitalisation of banks and ensuring guarantees for financial transactions, hopefully trust will soon be regained and recovery underway , so that the effect will be limited.
Recently the IMF predicted that Africa in 2008 will probably be the only continent in the world, that can witness substantial growth, probably even the strongest growth over the last 40 year. This persistent high economic growth, the political stability, the sound investment climate and the vast market of West-Africa makes Ghana a show-case and an interesting emerging market.

Ghana has taken substantial effort to achieve such an attractive business climate and a position on the list of top reformers of the World Bank Doing Business Report in 2007 and 2008. Starting a business has become easier, a one-stop-shop for investors is created, the time for custom clearance is less now and profit tax has been reduced. As a State Secretary of Finance I know that improving the business climate is a job that is never finished. Not for the Netherlands, not for Ghana. My high esteem goes to the continuous efforts of the Government of Ghana in this respect, thus enabling the private sector to play its part as engine of economic growth.

This morning we meet in the former headquarters of the Netherlands Trade Company, founded by King Willem the first in 1824, to promote trade and industry. This company acted as a bank, financing transactions, but also as a trade and shipping company in the 19th century. The Netherlands and Ghana are also related by their ports. Ghana's exports arrive here through Dutch ports.

Dutch companies consider Ghana an attractive destination for investment and are active in several sectors: logistics and storage, maritime sector, construction, water, textiles, food and agri-business. Representatives of companies active in these sectors are present here this morning.

Your Excellency, Ghana is also very special to me personally. In March of this year I had the privilege to visit Ghana, and sign a taxation treaty between our countries. I had the opportunity to talk to Dutch companies, active in Ghana and to witness their modern and sustainable approach, with care for people and planet. I here fore know that our business community has a long-term interest in Ghana and in creating sustainable business.
I am happy to announce that the Dutch parliament has recently ratified this treaty. The treaty was already ratified by the Ghanaian parliament, so this means that it will become effective as of 1st January 2009.

I referred already to the ports of Amsterdam and Rotterdam as important players in our economic relation, but there is more. We have ample experience in port development, connection to the hinterland, port accessibility and infrastructure and port management.

The government of Ghana has identified increased infrastructural development as the key for maintaining high economic growth figures, with the ports as regional trade hubs. The recent discovery of oil off-shore will require additional investments and new infrastructure. I hope the future oil revenue will bring Ghana sustained economic growth, more income for all Ghanaians, with special attention for the poor, and in doing so soon achieve the status of middle-income country. The Dutch private sector would like to contribute, with knowledge and experience in several areas, with continued trade and investments and in a sustainable manner.

I would like to give the floor to you, Mr. President.