Vice President John Mahama on Wednesday opened the first-ever online trade fair that will enable local registered businesses to transact business across the computer, the phone and other internet-enabled devices. In a speech read for him by the Employment and Social Welfare Minister, Mr Enoch Teye Mensah, the Vice President described the innovation by the Wed and Soft Company, a local software firm, as a striking example of how Ghana could use the Internet to increase businesses and expand the economy. He said one of the major challenges Ghanaian businesses faced was the difficulty in getting consistent business, but noted: "regrettably a lot of businesses in Ghana have not even considered the establishment of an online presence to make it easier for customers to find them online." Vice President Mahama said the fair dubbed: "Ghana Sales Fair" had come to set the stage for businesses in Ghana to develop partnership between its industries and customers on a scale never before attempted or attained. "The tool we are out-dooring should have a positive impact on our Better Ghana Agenda by bringing about a change in the way business is done in our country," Vice President Mahama said. Over 120 businesses as the time of the opening have registered to participate in the fair with the expectation to host over four million Ghanaian customers and more than 700 million international participants through electronic campaigns on major websites and search engines including Google Company and Cable Network News (CNN). Mr Philip Gamey, the CEO of the Web and Soft said the fair's site, www.ghanasalesfair.com, had been optimized for customers to fast download on their Personal Computers, iPads and mobile phones. He said the aim was to give the customers exactly what they wanted and exhibitors the freedom to update their booth on the site for their current offerings. Mr Gamey said it would enable businesses to deliver the best business to customers on their terms and customers anywhere and at anytime could join the fair with their lap tops, cell phones or their iPads. Source: GNA