Accra, Dec 9, GNA - Ms Hanna Tetteh, the Minister of Trade and Industry, on Wednesday challenged firms to sign onto the Ghana Business Code (GhBC) to ensure respect for best business practices in the country. She said signing onto to the GhBC and complying with its dictates would send a signal that the firms were not just interested in making money but also cared for the environment, their employees as well as respected the country's laws, a condition that ensured confidence between customers and the firms.

Ms Tetteh said this when officials of the GhBC, led by its Sub-Component Manager, Mr Johnson Ben Oduro, called on her at the Ministry in Accra to introduce the seven companies that it honoured with Gold Certificates for implementing the principles of the code. The companies include Toyota (GH) Ltd, Nexans Kablemetal Ltd, TV3 Network and PZ Cussons. The rest are Tropical Cable and Conductor Ltd, Wileb Mining Supplies Ltd and Kasapa Telecom Ltd. The GhBC is a series of prescriptions based on United Nations Global Compact relating to human rights, labour standards, the environment and transparency in business operations with emphasis on corporate responsibility to people, profit and planet.

The Minister said even though regulations governing business operations in the country might look too cumbersome and expensive to comply with, they were only meant to guide companies to uphold best international standards. She commended recipients of the Gold Certificates for demonstrating commitment to best business practice despite stiff competition, and called on other companies especially large players to sign onto the code. Mr Oduro said the GhBC was intensifying its monitoring capacity to ensure that members complied with the regulations. He said the GhBC was also working hard to get more companies to sign onto it to generally improve the country's business environment. Mr Lars Jepsen, Programme Coordinator, Business Sector Support of the Danish Embassy, said the Embassy would erect a plaque at its premises to list members of the GhBC for visitors and investors to see and do business with them. The Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) funds the GhBC.