Interview:Anthony Pile How do Ghana’s fiscal and currency challenges impact the outlook for agricultural producers? ANTHONY PILE: The changing fortunes of the currency against hard currencies aren’t necessarily a bad thing. For example, during the period when the currency was being managed against the dollar, it suited importers as it made imported materials artificially cheaper. However,…
Interview:Neal Hansch What can be done to create an enabling environment for information technology start-ups? NEAL HANSCH: Incubators have limited capacity and can only train a certain number of people, so it is all about the ecosystem and support system. We are finding, in a lot of emerging markets, that the corporate, legal and tax structure is not set up to support ICT start-ups. Key elements…
Interview:Paarock VanPercy What are the main challenges facing the transition from analogue to digital TV broadcasting? PAAROCK VANPERCY: Ghana signed on to the Geneva 2006 agreement to switch from analogue to digital broadcasting by June 17, 2015. Currently, each of our TV stations uses a bandwidth of about 8 MHz. The beauty of the transition is that digital transmission provides more efficient…
Interview:Mustapha Ahmed How can the government reduce the volume of informal activity in the economy? MUSTAPHA AHMED: The Rural Enterprises Programme is a key scheme under the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI) to bring the informal sector into the mainstream economy. It aims to raise the number of rural micro and small enterprises (MSEs) that generate profit, exhibit growth and create…
Interview:James Antwi How can the industry counter the perception that passenger flights are only for the affluent? JAMES ANTWI: First and foremost, flying is the most convenient way of travelling in the country. Due to the condition of the roads, a trip by car to Kumasi can take up to six hours and a trip to Tamale takes 10-12 hours. Compare this to 30-minute flights that allow people to travel…
Interview:David Adjaye To what extent are new buildings in the region constructed in a sustainable manner? DAVID ADJAYE: We saw a long period of difficult political climates, which slowed research into best practice. So at present there is an explosion in the region that is without precedent. Government is adopting a handsoff stance to stimulate the private sector, so local authorities are…
Interview:David Morley How do you expect the interest in consumer-facing industries in sub-Saharan Africa to evolve? DAVID MORLEY: The consumer story in Africa has many years to run. Investors can access that through a broader range of sectors than those traditionally defined as consumer-facing. We invest primarily in six sectors through three investor products, of which real estate is one.…
Interview:Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare How can the country promote leisure travel? ELIZABETH OFOSU-ADJARE: This is being done through the comprehensive, ongoing advertisement of tourist facilities and attractions through electronic and print media and interactive websites for the Ministry of Tourism (MoT) and the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA). The MoT is also taking steps to encourage tourism service…
Interview:Ulrich T Eckhardt How does the relationship between owner and operator differ between Europe and Africa? ULRICH T ECKHARDT: In most cases, owners in emerging markets like Africa rely heavily on the know-how of others and they expect a higher degree of involvement from the operators. In Africa, owners seldom get involved in hotel development and operations and use asset managers more…
Interview:Mark E Smith What combination of factors is driving expansion of international universities in Africa? MARK E SMITH: If you look at the high-level signs, economic and overall development within the African continent is clearly on the rise. There are some bumps in various national economies, but overall the medium-term trajectory is heading upwards. One sees mixed economies, rather…
