The Ghana Free Zones Board under the leadership of Mr Kwadwo Twum Boafo has chalked a number of significant successes over the last four years.
Having acted as head of the organisation since 2009, Mr. Twum Boafo has been confirmed by the Office of the President to assume a substantive role as the Executive Secretary of the Ghana Free Zones Board.
The major successes chalked by the organisation during the last four years include the registration of additional 76 companies bringing the total number of registered companies to 357.
Export values also increased from $5,101 billion in 2008 to $11.747 billion in 2012 whiles the number of people employed under the Free Zones Programme as at the end of 2012 was 30,383.
A statistical data from the Free Zones Board made available to Economic Tribune said of this figure, 29,511 of those employed by the programme are Ghanaians, whiles the remaining 872 are expatriates workers.
Meanwhile, the new Board Chairman of the Ghana Free Zones Board, Honourable Haruna Iddrissu (Minister for Trade and Industry), has chaired his first board meeting at the Ghana Free Zones Board. The results-driven Minister outlined his vision to the Executive Secretary of the Ghana Free Zones Board and the Board Members.
Subsequent to the meeting, Techno Phones a leading innovator in the African mobile phone market, committed to putting up a multi-million assembly plant, the first of its kind in West Africa, at the ICT Park in the Tema Export Processing Zone.
Techno Phones’ presence on the Ghanaian market would have positive effects on the economy due to the intended injection of capital and resources, employment creation of over 100 people, acquisition of skills, transfer of technology and importantly, the promotion of exports to accelerate economic growth and development.
The Ghana Free Zone Programme takes its mandate from the Free Zones Act 1995 (Act 504) of the Parliament of Ghana to promote enterprise development and job creation and thereby contribute to economic growth and development.
The programme exists to promote the processing and manufacturing of goods through the establishment of Export Processing Zones (EPZs) and encourages the development of commercial and service activities at seaport and airport areas.
The Ghana Free Zones Board encourages investors to produce goods and services and export 70 per cent to foreign markets and sell not less than 30 per cent to in the domestic market.