By Saykpekpo Innis in Buchanan, Liberia
A trade and investment Guide has been launched after Grand Bassa County’s first trade and investment conference, which ended over the weekend in Buchanan, showcasing many investment opportunities the county has to oreign and local investors.
It showcases potential investment opportunities to the investors in the areas of agriculture, energy, infrastructure, mining, tourism, education among others in Grand Bassa County.
The trade and business conference was attended by more than 10 international companies and over 40 international delegates from Ivory Coast, Ghana, Kenya, Spain and America.
Senator Jonathan Kaipay of Grand Bassa County launched the investment guide, which is being made available to both foreign and local investors as well as to the citizens of the county.
“I am pleased on behalf of the county caucus, the superintendent of our county, all the citizens including elders, chiefs and young people, that for the first time in the history of our county, we have developed an investment guide for Grand Bassa County,” Senator Kaipay said.
“We want to use this guide to convince as much people as possible in terms of what Grand Bassa County has. And so, we want to launch this guide for the purpose of exploring in any of the opportunities that are in it. This guide will direct you how to do business, what are the different channels you need to follow, our population and other information that are vital,” Senator Kaipay added.
The Senator further said the investment guide will help to make the foreign investors to understand some critical areas to invest that would bring transformation in the county.
A secretariat of the trade and investment conference and its staff will be vetted and an office will be set up in Grand Bassa County, according to the Grand Bassa County Senator.
“That secretariat staff will serve as liaison between would be investors, the county authority and the relevant government agencies that will help you to make sure your interment information are gathered and follow properly,” Senator Kaipay noted.
Also speaking, Representative Matthew Joe of Electoral District Three in Grand Bassa County assured the foreign and local investors the full support of members of the County Legislative caucus if they are willing to invest in the county.
Rep. Joe, who is the Co – Chair of the Caucus, speaking on behalf of the Chairman, Rep. Thomas Alexander Gohsua of Electoral District Five, encouraged the investors to take advantage of the investment opportunities in the county and the country at large.
The citizens of the county and their lawmakers are willing to work with the investors, Representative Joe told the international delegates.
Meanwhile, an official, Sam Thompson called on lawmakers of other counties in the country to follow the historical example of Grand Bassa County by inviting foreign investors for investment opportunities to be created.
Mr. Thompson said by the lawmakers taking the initiative of inviting investors will help to move their counties forward in terms of development and the creation of job opportunities for the citizens.
Praising Senator Kaipay for his farsightedness, Mr. Thompson said, “This is the first of its kind for a county lawmaker to organize a trade and investment conference in his county.”
He stressed that it is time for Liberians to buttress the effort of national government by inviting foreign investors in the country and avoid the depending on the government to do everything for them.
The trade and investment conference which started last Thursday, April 26, was organized by the office of Senator Jonathan Kaipay with support from Orange Liberia, Arcelor Mittal, Equatorial Palm Oil, among others.
The Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) government of President George Manneh Weah through the Commerce and Industry Minister, Prof. Wilson Tarpeh who spoke on behalf of the president during the opening of the trade and investment conference in Buchanan, assured the visiting international delegates while in the country that Liberia is save for investment.