Accra, July 4, GNA - Our Elders say it is only when one visits the farm of others that one could boast that he or she is a great farmer or it is only when an Amega meets an Amega that an Amegahoho emerges. On Saturday July 2 2005 Tony Oteng-Gyasi, Managing Director of Tropical Cable and Conductor Limited, won the covetous Marketing Man of the Year Award at the 16th National Marketing Performance Awards, organised by the Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana (CIMG) in Accra. Tony Oteng-Gyasi emerged after a through assessment of the Company he manages in terms of turnover, introduction of innovations and customer relations.

Even though the day was a joyous one for Tony Oteng-Gyasi he did not lose sight of the realities on the ground and complained about the unfair global competition, which he said was affecting local jobs. He urged policymakers to ensure that local manufacturers were given mandatory option for government procurements. This attracted applause from the more than 300 audience comprising mainly entrepreneurs and marketers.

The Marketing Man of the Year said Ghanaians should also insist on buying made-in-Ghana goods as a patriotic duty.

For his Bachelor's Degree, Tony Oteng-Gyasi majored in Economics at the University of Ghana in 1975.

After a year of National Service with the Research Department of the Bank of Ghana, (1975 to 1976), he joined the Ghana Operation of British Petroleum and rose rapidly. During this time, he obtained his Diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, United Kingdom (UK). He spent nine years working with BP Ghana and attended various overseas courses.

In 1986, his entrepreneurship instincts led to his resignation from BP despite assurances that he was being groomed for the highest levels of the Company.

The Marketing Man of the Year set up his first Company, Tropical Products Limited, which he nurtured to become a successful trading and manufacturing firm. It became the largest manufacturer of crates and pallets in Ghana. He served two terms as the Vice President of the Ghana Furniture Producers Association.

In 1987, he entered the Law Faculty of the University of Ghana and obtained the Qualifying Certificate in Law. He was called to the Ghana Bar in 1989 after another two years at the Ghana Law School.

In 1997, he set up the Cable Manufacturing Company, called Tropical Cable and Conductor Limited. The modern factory located in Tema is the only wholly Ghanaian owned Cable Manufacturing Company in Ghana. The Company manufactures electric and telecommunications cables. He is the Managing Director and Chairman of the Board. The Company is currently the only cable manufacturer in Ghana with ISO 9001: 2000 Certification.

Tony Oteng-Gyasi won the year 2000 Empretec Star Award for Entrepreneurial Achievement. In 2001, his Company Tropical Cable & Conductor Ltd. was adjudged the fastest growing Empretec Client Company. In the same period, the Company was also short-listed for the Shell Award for sustainable development by Worldaware Institute, the prestigious United Kingdom Charity with Her Majesty the Queen as the patron.

During Indutech 2005 (the Industrial and Technology Fair organised by the Ghana Industries) he was given an award as outstanding personality in the electrical sector. He is a member of the Council of the Ghana Stock Exchange, and of the Council of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA). Married with five children, Tony Oteng-Gyasi is a keen squash player.