The Chief Operating Officer and Global Strategist for Goldman Sachs, Lisa Opoku is advocating policies that will attract investments to Ghana.
The investment banker has also advised investors to consider the long term benefits accruing to them and invest in viable business ventures despite declining global market performances.
“You will have to encourage investment in your policy and create economic environment which is useful to investors…You do not know whether it is the economic times or the party in power but it is important that you get your opportunity in government and take it with what economic policies that you have,” she explained.
Lisa Opoku’s suggestion also comes on the back of concerns of the inability of state enterprises to attract huge investments in a bid to avoid borrowing from the central government for their expansion and growth.
She intimates the bearish performance should rather guide enterprises to weigh the benefits in the long term against the temporary staggering performances in the short term.
“It may feel like these are dark times however as an investor, this is a great distressed opportunity; it is the time when yields are high, you can get more equity for investments. As an entrepreneur, you must consider how much you can give up if you see the types of return you can build in technology companies and for companies with data, there is incredible opportunity. So be thoughtful in aspiring people to invest.”
Global performances of major trading commodities have not been encouraging from the perspective of most industry watchers.
For instance, gold is selling at about 1,300 dollars at a time that it costs producers an estimated 1200 dollars to produce an ounce of the commodity.
Also, a barrel of crude oil is pegged at approximately 47 dollars per barrel.
This has also largely affected the revenue targets of most economies across the globe including Ghana, prompting the country’s Minister of Finance to seek a revision of the 2016 targets for the country’s budget estimates.
Though Lisa Opoku admits that there exist numerous opportunities for investors, she explains that could largely be achieved if governments formulates policies to attract investments into their economies.
“But it does start from the top and absolutely the government is the huge factor in whatever we are doing,” she intimated.
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By: Pius Amihere Eduku/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana