Economic Diplomacy for Investment

Liberia’s Ambassador to Ghana, Rudolf P. Ballmoos has said he has done everything possible within his diplomatic duties to attract and  drive home needy investments in fulfillment of a charge from President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf  for all Liberian diplomats abroad to bring to bear ‘Economic Diplomacy’ in her administration.

Ambassador Ballmoos, stated “ in 2006,when the President took office she  charged all of us  diplomats to entreat our duties at our various missions with Economic Diplomacy policy to attract  basic  and needy investment opportunities into Liberia”

He said the idea of getting the two countries together will jump start serious acknowledgment for Ghana that there exist business opportunities here in Liberia.  Ambassador Ballmoos said this yesterday at the close of two days Liberia-Ghana Investment Forum-2010 held in Monrovia.

The forum which opened on 7th September brought together about 40 companies mainly from Ghana and the Netherlands including other observers, who have expressed immediate inter-segment readiness based on the confidence their respective countries and companies have built in Liberia

The Diplomat in an interview with the New Dawn said the Ghana’s largest insurance company; State Insurance Company (SIC) is ready to engage Liberia in three months. “They are ready to partner with Liberian companies, as they have already started the process of acquiring a land outside Monrovia”.

The Liberian Embassy in Accra facilitated the investment forum, with 40 companies’ sponsorship, 17 from Liberia including the Government of Liberia, while 23 came from Ghana.

Zoom Lion Ghana Ltd. Waste Management Services Provider of the Jospong Group of Companies comprised of 16 different companies and a strong bidder in a just to begin four years US$18.4m World Bank’s Emergency Monrovia Urban Sanitation Project (EMUSP), in September this year.

According to Zoom Lion’s PR and Director of Protocol, Mr. Oscar Provencal, they have come to Liberia with good will, to expertise capacity and to transfer knowledge.