The appeal was made by Mr. Isaac Osei Ghana's High Commissioner to the UK at one-day seminar organised by the Trade and Investment Section of the Mission for Ghanaian entrepreneurs operating in the UK.

The seminar, the first of its kind, attracted over 40 Ghanaian enterprises based in the UK and afforded the participants the opportunity to discuss pertinent issues on the growth of their businesses, training programmes and regulations on the importation of farm produce and Ghanaian products to the UK.

High Commissioner Osei said such an Association was long overdue considering the fact that many of them had operated in the UK for a long time. He said an association of the nature he had in mind would provide them a platform to discuss and share ideas on issues relating to their operations and the development of strategies for the growth and expansion of their businesses.

Mr. Osei told the meeting that the mission would continue to show interest in the activities of their businesses and urged Ghanaians to continue to support them by patronising their goods and services.

To enhance the capacity building of the entrepreneurs, Mr. Osei announced that an arrangement had been made with the Management Department of the London Metropolitan University for a special training course in basic management, accounting and computer programmes.

"I will urge you to think big and shun the age-old Ghanaian attitude to business, which does not promote good business. You need to expand, you have to look at the possibility of having additional branches or expanding your businesses", he said.

Participants welcomed the suggestion for the formation of an association and agreed to work towards that direction by first forming identifiable groups in their respective areas.

Mr. Appiah-Donyina, Counsellor for Trade and Investments thanked the representatives of Ghanaian businesses in the UK for responding promptly to the mission's invitation.

He said the seminar formed part of a series of seminars, which would be organised during the year by his office to help Ghanaian businesses to re-orientate their business practices in line with modern trends.