By CHRISTIAN KPESESE – The Volta Region one of Ghana`s five poorest regions located within the Savannah ecological Zone of the country has open its doors to the investor community to take advantage of its rich resource potentials aimed at the socio-economic transformation of the region.
The region according to the 2010 National Population and Housing Census has a population of 2,118, 252 constituting 8.6% of the national population with an annual growth rate of 2.5%.
The resource potential of the region for investment opportunities includes fertile land for agriculture production and agro-processing, Oil and Gas development, travel and tourism and wind energy generation.
Other investment opportunities for would be investors in the Volta region includes salt mining, timber processing, aquaculture development, opportunities for the establishment of agro-processing industries among others.
The Volta Regional Minister, Hon Helen Adjoa Ntoso at a recent China- Ghana Trade and Economic Cooperation forum aimed at contributing to the transformation of the Savannah Ecological Zone, which is being championed by the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) urged investors to their attention to the region for viable investment opportunities.
According to her, the Volta region is unique among her peers with a reflection of all the vegetation cover and climate zones of the country because it stretches all the way from the North to the South.
The region she said has all types of landscapes and vegetation of the country such as sandy coastlands, lagoons, southern and northern savannah, forests, beautiful mountains including the highest mountain- mount Afadja and waterfalls among others, making it the surest attractive investment destination.
Hon Ntoso who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Krachi West calls on investors to invest into Agriculture which currently employs 74% of the economically Active Population of the total population of the region for maximum returns
Crops farming, livestock, fisheries, agro-forestry and non- traditional commodities are the main areas of investment opportunities in the Volta region.
She welcomed potential investors to venture into agro-processing to ensure value addition along the agriculture value chain to help address the challenges of post-harvest loses and create more jobs.
The Volta Regional Minister invited investors to invest in the construction of a bridge over the Oti river near Dambai to provide easy access to Krachi and other parts of Northern Volta on what she described as Construct, Operate and Transfer (COT) basis.
The region is currently benefiting from some major road infrastructure projects which are expected to open up the area for more opportunities for investors hoping to invest in the region and economic opportunities for the region.
Among these road projects are ; Kpando , Worawora to Dambai road, HOto Fume road, Sogakofe to Ho road and the Eastern Corridor road linking Asikuma, Hohoe, Nkwanta through Oti to Damanko.
She disclosed that huge opportunities exist for private sector investment in the Travel and Tourism sector in the region especially the Hospitality sector to provide decent accommodation for the travelling public. Areas of tourism and Travel investment opportunities for private tour operators that can be turned into money making ventures includes an investment in the Volta lake especially as resorts and for easy and faster transport services on the Volta Lake.
The region can also boast of the beautiful Keta lagoon/ Ramser site, attractive mountains, natural forest and game reserves, caves, swaterfalls such as Wli/ Agumatsa falls, sandy and golden beaches along the coasts among several others.
The Volta region also abounds with several handicrafts such Kente weaving, wood carving and ceramics.
The region also boasts of interesting cultural heritage and unique festivals such as the Hogbetsotso of the Anlos and the Asogli yam festival of the Hos.
The Region is home to industries such as the Volta Star Textile limited located atb Juapong, Diamond Cement factory at Aflao, the Aveyime Rice Farms among others.
The region is inviting investment into Fruit juice processing along the middle belt including Hohoe and Kpando which is mainly into Fruit cultivation for export.
A Research has established that the Volta region has a huge potential for Wind Energy generation source along the coast from Aflao to Tema which forms part of Ghana`s wind potential of about 2,000 megawatts power source which is yet to be tapped.
The region is also inviting potential investors to take advantage of its large Salt Mining potential along the coast of Keta South in the Keta District with very favourable climate conditions for improve commercial production purposes in the country.
The Volta region is among the least developed regions of the country which falls within the SADA Ecological Enclave.
Significant investment in the rich Human and natural material resource potential of the region is expected to help improve living standards of the people for the socio-economic transformation of region to make Ghana a better place.
