Deputy Western Regional Minister, Mr. Alfred Ekow Gyan
Boarder Information Centres to provide adequate information for travellers between Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire have been established at the Elubo and Noe side of the Ghana-Cote d’Ivoire borders.
This is to ensure that adequate information was made available to first time visitors or travellers, shippers and all who use the entry point to avert the problem of being duped by unscrupulous agents.
At the launch at Elubo Thursday, the said over the years, the region had attracted people from all over the country and beyond who visit to take advantage of the huge natural endowment.
However, he said due to the lack of adequate information for these people, as to whom to deal with, they end up being duped by unscrupulous people under the guise of helping them.
“It gives me great joy to be part of this function, which seeks to open further the Western Region to the rest of the world,” he said.
The region, according to the deputy minister, was endowed with many natural resources and contributes significantly to the Gross Domestic Product of the country. These endowments, he said include gold, manganese, bauxite, coal, iron ore, limestone, silica, glass sand, salt, timber, forests, wildlife, clay of various types and in recent times the oil and gas find as well as tourism.
He said a country endowed with all these resources would make it attractive to others from neighbouring countries in the West African sub-region and the rest of the world.
“Therefore the problem of visitors falling in the hands of wrong people would be a thing of the past with the setting up of these Border Information Centres, one on each side of the border at Noe and Elubo.”
The deputy minister said the centre would provide the needed information to facilitate regional trading and inter border processing and reduce costs and delays.
Mr Gyan said it was important to know that for every minute a truck was delayed crossing a border, an importer or exporter had a story about how business could be booming if those delays were eliminated or significantly reduced.
“Therefore, the setting up of these centres at this part of our region is indeed mostly welcome, in view of the fact that land transportation systems have become a crucial component of modernity,” he said.
He expressed the hope that opening of the Ghana – Cote d’Ivoire Border Information Centres would give impetus to the implementation of the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS) in promoting regional trade.
“Studies have shown that poor access to information on trade rules has over the years been a key stumbling block to trading within the Sub-region,” he said, adding that “In today’s world, technological advancement, information and data processing have become crucial, taking front stage of all economic, political and social activities.”
The Deputy Minister emphasised the importance of the project and said that the role of Information, Communication and Technology in poverty reduction, good governance and information dissemination is acknowledged worldwide and for any government to survive in the emerging global economy there is the need for her to pay particular attention to its development.
He said one of the core policies of the government had been to ensure speedy and efficient clearance of goods not only at the country’s ports but also at its borders.
Mr Gyan appealed to managers of the centres to play their roles diligently for orderly and efficient trade development among the peoples of the two sister countries of Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana.
Present at the ceremony were the United States Ambassador to Ghana, Gene A. Cretz, U.S. Ambassador to Cote d’Ivoire Phillip Carter; officials of the transport ministries of both countries; the chief executive officers of the shippers councils of both countries; district chief executives and commanders of various border posts.
Source: Daily Graphic
