Ghana will in 2020 join the rest of the world to converge on Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to participate in the Dubai Expo slated for October 2020 to April 2021.
The six months event, on the theme "Connecting Minds, Creating the Future," is aimed at bringing together participants and visitors for the exchange of knowledge and experiences to help in resolving societal challenges.
It would focus on the sub-themes including sustainability, mobility and opportunity.
With over 150 countries and 25 million visitors expected to be part of the event, Ghana has been allocated a 200 metre square pavilion for the expo.
Launching the Dubai Expo 2020 in Accra yesterday, Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Carlos Ahenkorah, said that Ghana's participation, which would be under the theme "Ghana: Limitless Opportunities," was to underscore the government's commitment to attracting foreign direct investment into critical sectors of the economy for job creation and prosperity.
He said the numerous opportunities that abound in all sectors of the Ghanaian economy, including trade and investment, energy, tourism, education, agriculture and agro-processing, road and rail, water and sanitation, arts and entertainment among others would be showcased.
The deputy minister explained that Ghana's participation in the Expo would help attract investors into the country for the exploration of the numerous opportunities which cut across all sectors of the economy for the benefit of all Ghanaians.
Mr Ahenkorah stated that through the global exposition, the country would be able to establish and strengthen the existing cordial political and socio-economic ties between Ghana and Dubai, as well as other participating countries.
In furtherance of government's agenda to transform the structure of the economy through industrialisation, the deputy minister noted that the government was pursuing an industrial transformation agenda with Business Regulatory Reform at the centre of it to make Ghana the most business-friendly country in Africa.
"Improving the time, procedure and cost of doing business in the country by removing bottlenecks in the business environment would immensely contribute to government's quest to create a conducive business environment for businesses to thrive and actualise the agenda to attract foreign direct investment into critical sectors of the economy," he added.
He noted that the organisers had tabled a US$100 million fund to support Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs), social enterprises, private investors in actualising their innovative ideas for exhibition at the Dubai Expo.
Currently, one Ghanaian SME, Unique Quality Product Enterprise, based in Tamale has accessed the funds to upscale its solutions to malnutrition and food insecurity in the Northern Region.