GHANA, Enhancing Trade and Accruing Investment LATEST REPORT February 4th, 2002	Ghana A country with a vision. Introduction - Perfect vision - Banking on the future - Opportunities in privatizations - Stock exchange continues to expand - Strong commitment to infrastructures development - Flying high - Made in Ghana - Mining and energy - Powering the economy - Cocoa industry - Competitive telecommunications - Benefits of the lottery - Tourism blooms Stock Exchange continues to expand In 1994, just four years into trading operations, the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) was judged the best performer in Africa by the International Federation of Stock Exchanges. The Exchange gained 24 % in capital appreciation, and its listings have grown from 11 to 21 companies and a corporate bond. As more gold mining companies are quoted and SOEs are floated, the GSE will become one of the more important stock markets in the region. The catalyst for the boom is the listing of Ashanti Goldfields Company (AGC), which boosted the Exchange's capitalization from about US$310 million to US$2 billion. According to Finance Minister Mr. Kwame Peprah, the successful AGC floatation "opened the eyes of investors elsewhere to the fact that there is a place called Ghana and you could make some money there." Activities on the Exchange continue to expand: currently there are eleven authorized stock brokers operating, up from three in 1990. The number of brokers will grow as more foreign-based Ghanaians with capital market expertise return home. Previous Read on Next © World INvestment NEws, 1999. This is the electronic edition of the special country report on Ghana published in Forbes Magazine´s October 6th 1999 Issue. Developed by AgenciaE.Tv