Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, Victor Emmanuel Smith, has called on American investors to explore opportunities in local manufacturing and processing of the country’s raw materials, as part of efforts to create jobs and strengthen economic ties between the two countries.
He made the call during a meeting with the Mayor of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County, Freddie O’Connell, at Nashville City Hall in Tennessee, as part of his four-day official visit to the state.
The discussions focused on attracting investment into Ghana, particularly in value-added manufacturing, agriculture and other strategic sectors.
Ambassador Smith said Ghana was seeking investors interested in partnerships that would deliver mutual benefits, especially in processing commodities such as cocoa, shea butter and coffee rather than exporting them in their raw form.
He argued that attracting investment into local production would help create well-paying jobs and address the growing number of young Ghanaians leaving the country in search of better economic opportunities abroad.
“The true measure of successful diplomacy is not the number of high-level meetings we attend, but the investment we attract, the business we help establish and the lives we improve,” he has previously maintained.
Presenting Ghana as a gateway to the African market, the Ambassador highlighted the country’s stable democratic system, rule of law, English-speaking youthful workforce and its hosting of the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
He said these advantages provide businesses with an opportunity to access a continental market of about 1.4 billion people.
Ambassador Smith also identified agriculture, mining, particularly gold and lithium, healthcare, infrastructure and digital technologies as sectors with significant investment potential, supported by targeted government incentives.
Mayor O’Connell welcomed the Ghanaian delegation and highlighted the existing cultural and family ties between Nashville and Ghana, strengthened through the city’s Sister Cities programme.
He expressed interest in sustaining trade discussions between the two sides, identifying healthcare and technology as priority areas for potential collaboration.
The Mayor also acknowledged the contribution of Dr Addae, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Conscious Group, describing him as an example of the Ghanaian diaspora’s contribution to Nashville.
Speaking at the meeting, Dr Addae said Ghanaians in Nashville were well integrated into the community and had established a strong presence in academia and local government.
He said members of the diaspora were also exploring ways to channel part of their financial resources into structured investment opportunities in Ghana, beyond the remittances they currently send home.
Dr Addae further said the Ghanaian Embassy, under the direction of President John Dramani Mahama, was working to reduce the country’s dependence on imported finished products by promoting local supply chains and logistics partnerships.
He cited Ghana’s position as Africa’s largest gold producer and the world’s second-largest cocoa producer as opportunities that could support increased local processing and manufacturing.
Ambassador Smith was accompanied by the Administrator of the District Assemblies Common Fund, Michael Yamson; Dr Addae; President of the Ghanaian Association of Middle Tennessee, Elijah Annor; and Senior Adviser to The Conscious Group, Marian Mahmoud.
Nashville’s Senior Director for Economic and Community Development, Jamari Brown, also attended the meeting to support discussions on strengthening trade and investment relations between Ghana and the city.