It is uncontentious that the role of the media has been very essential in the dissemination of information, education of the public and conveyance of message in the era of the COVID-l9 pandemic.
To this end, the Ghana Investment and Promotion Centre (GIPC) on Thursday, December 17, 2020, held a press soiree for media stakeholders, at its premises in Cantonments City, Accra in acknowledgement of their efforts over the year.
The engagement among other things was targeted at cementing the existing relationship between the Centre and the media as well as commending the role of the media in ensuring that GIPC stayed relevant through the timely coverage of events and sound dissemination of information from the Centre.
Chief Executive Officer of GIPC, Yofi Grant, capitalized on the opportunity to thank the media for their support in propagating and amplifying the success of the Centre, while describing the media as ‘strategic partners’ necessary for the attainment of certain crucial goals of the GIPC.
Mr Grant further touched on the Centre’s key role to help revitalize the country’s economy post COVID-19 pandemic.
He said, “we intend to consolidate the gains made so far in spite of the pandemic, to further increase our FDI flow in the coming year to rejuvenate the economy.”
It will be recalled that the Center in the first half of the year recorded $785.6 million worth of FDI which was a 409 per cent increase in FDI value, as compared to the same period last year.
The feat was described as praise-worthy considering the blow dealt to global FDI by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Looking ahead, the CEO indicated that some initiatives such as the COVID-19 Alleviation and Revitalization of Enterprises Support (CARES) programme, the revision of Ghana’s investment law, the establishment of the Diaspora Investment desk, as well as the boosting of Investor Aftercare will be prioritized by the GIPC with intent to support the economy towards a recovery.
“In the foreseeable future, the focus of investment promotion agencies in most countries will be primarily on keeping investors in the country, strengthening their resilience and encouraging restructuring/reinvestment in order to preserve companies and thereby safeguard jobs,” Mr Grant stressed.
He also urged journalists to continue supporting the GIPC in the coming year and beyond –especially as the country looks to rebuild a more resilient economy.
