Ghana’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Alhaji Mohammed Habib Tijani has urged investors and businesses in the Kingdom to take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) by investing in Ghana.

He maintained that Ghana is a safe and profitable destination for business in Africa and taking up investment opportunities will inure to the benefits of investors.

Alhaji Habib Tijani is enthusiastic the single market created by AfCFTA would accelerate the transformation of the continent’s economies.

At a meeting with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), Sultan Bin Abdul Rahman Al-Marshad, the Ambassador urged him to encourage Saudi investors to make use of opportunities presented by AfCFTA and invest in Ghana.

Sultan Al-Marshad on his part requested the respective Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in Ghana to submit proposals for consideration by SFD, the FSCC, and other business bodies.

Alhaji Habib Tijani expressed appreciation for the involvement of SFD in development programmes in Ghana since the 1980s.

He mentioned projects like the Northern Electrification Programme, the Tetteh Quarshie-Mamfe road project, and more recently the loans granted for projects at the Bolgatanga and Korle Bu Teaching Hospitals.

The Ambassador also briefed the SFD CEO on investment opportunities in Ghana, focusing on Government’s flagship development programmes, including the One-Village One Dam (1V1D), One District One Factory (1D1F), and the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) initiative.

He further explained that the initiatives were introduced to enable irrigation in parts of the country especially the Savanna Zone throughout the year, and also to tackle youth unemployment, achieve food security, and add value to Ghana’s exports through agro-processing.

He also spoke about investment opportunities the programmes offered and requested Sultan Al-Marshad to encourage relevant Saudi Institutions and businesses to invest in the projects.

Alhaji Tijani added that “in respect of Planting for Food and Jobs, my host revealed that Saudi Arabia was a major producer of high-quality fertilizers and that the Saudi Exim Bank could be engaged to make arrangements with the Saudi Arabian Basic Industries Cooperation (SABIC) to provide fertilizer and other agro-chemicals to Ghanaian farmers at very competitive prices”.

He, however, assured Sultan Al-Marshad that in due course the proposals on the aforementioned Government of Ghana flagship programmes would be submitted for consideration by SFD and other relevant Saudi authorities.