Ghana’s envoy to the United Kingdom, H.E. Mr. Isaac Osei has urged Ghanaian businesses to adopt innovative strategies to broaden their clientele base.
He said there was an urgent need for Ghanaian enterprises to improve the packaging of their products and adopt more efficient production techniques to enable them compete favourably in the globised market
Mr. Isaac Osei made the observation during his interaction with operators of Ghanaian businesses in the UK while on his second tour of Ghanaian businesses in the UK.
The tour was in pursuit of Government’s commitment to “facilitate and nurture the growth of Ghanaian enterprises in conformity with its belief that a vibrant private sector is the key to accelerated and sustainable development".
The tour, which took him to over 25 Ghanaian enterprises engaged in the Money transfer ,travel and tourism, supermarkets, beauty and health shops, shipping and freighting businesses was intended to acquaint the High Commissioner with their operations and discuss problems confronting Ghanaian entrepreneurs in the UK.
Accompanying the High Commissioner were Mr. Ferdinand Ayim, Special Aide to the Minister for Tourism and the Modernization of the Capital City, Mr. Kwabena Baah-Duodu, Deputy High Commissioner to the UK, Mr. Martin Quansah, Minister (Political and Economic), Mr. Appiah-Donyina, (Trade Counsellor), Mr. Fritz Andoh, Minister Counsellor for Information and other senior officials of the Ghana High Commission.
In his interaction during the tour, Mr. Isaac Osei expressed delight at the a growing number of Ghanaians who were moving away from menial jobs to establish their own businesses and urged these entrepreneurs to complete the transformation by “expanding their businesses to Ghana”
“You must bring your managerial expertise and the capital you have accumulated back home to help in creating employment opportunities and enhancing living conditions for your brethren in Ghana” he said
He briefed the proprietors about strategies initiated by the NPP government to shore up operations of the private sector in Ghana and encouraged the operators to regularly apprise themselves of such reforms through the Trade Office of the Mission.
The Ghanaian envoy lauded the companies for the support they continued to provide for the activities of the Ghanaian Associations and the Mission in particular and expressed the hope that the partnership would be strengthened even further in the future.
Responding to concerns raised by operators of Ghanaian supermarkets on difficulties encountered in sourcing supplies of fish and meat products from Ghana, the High Commissioner assured them that the Ministry of Trade and Industry would soon certify more companies to enable them export such products into the European market.
The companies praised the High Commissioner for improving the service delivery of Mission since assuming duty and expressed the belief that the support he continued to show for their work would spur them on to commit more resources into the development of Mother Ghana.
On his part, Mr. Ayim urged the companies to use their platforms to project Ghana in a manner that would entice their numerous customers to visit the country to boost the fledging tourist industry.
At Kojo's Restaurant in Peckham where the High Commissioner's entourage had lunch the restaurant was full of Ghanaians who had come to welcome the team. Apart from a sumptuous Ghanaian Buffet of Jollof Rice , nkontonmire and yam, fried plantains and beans, there were also assorted Ghanaian produced beers such as KBL's Club Beer, Star Beer and Nkulenu's Palm Wine.
During the visit to Roshview International Shipping firm, established in 1977, the Chief Executive Rev Mark Adu Gyamfi told the team that the firm would soon establish an international business resource centre in Ghana to assist in business/market identification and development.
According to him, the firm would also facilitate the development of business / market activities ranging from direct import and export activities through franchising and licensing agreements to direct capital investments in all sectors of the economy.
Businesses visited during the familiarization tour included Ashtown Supermarket, Kaneshie Market, Low Cost Supermarket, Obosei Traders, Italiano Direct, Adom Trading Enterprise, Rainbow Fashions, It Will Grow Back Hair Saloon, Golden Stool Restaurant and Pub, Seacas Shipping, Roshview International Shipping Company and Unity Link Money Transfer.
Others enterprises visited as part of the tour were Kojo’s Restaurant, Collison Solicitors, Mama Tess Saloon, Sunkwa Supermarket, Christine Twenefour Beauty Saloon, Vival Travel and Tours, Jiren Hair Saloon, CIG Hair and Beauty Saloon. The rest were Konica Digital Photos, El-Shaddai Supermarket, Nyame Bekyere Shop, Tina Saloon, Regalon International and the Kumasi Supermarket.
During the visit, Mr. Samuel Antwi, Manager of Regalon International presented a computer to the Ghana Real Estate Development Agency (GREDA), real estate dealers as his contribution to the development of the real estates sector in Ghana. Mr. Ferdinand Ayim received the donation on behalf of GREDA.
