3 Ghanaian companies win 2024 National Kaizen Awards

Three Ghanaian-owned companies have been honoured at the Ghana National Kaizen Awards 2024 for their excellence in operational efficiency and innovation. 

The awardees are Solution Oasis Limited, Yedent Agro Group of Companies and Asheba Company Limited.

Solution Oasis Limited, an agro-processing company known for producing premium natural skincare products, was named the overall winner and also received the Micro Small Enterprise Award. 

Yedent Agro Group of Companies, based in Sunyani, took home the Medium Enterprise of the Year Award for its contributions to agro-processing, while Asheba Company Limited, which specialises in the processing of shea nuts into shea butter and related products, won the Large Enterprise of the Year Award.

In recognition of their achievements, the three companies will receive business development support from the Ghana Enterprise Agency (GEA), which includes connections to markets and access to financial resources to support their continued growth. 

The winners have since represented the country at the African Kaizen Awards in Tunisia.

The awards 

The Ghana National Kaizen Awards 2024, held in Accra, was organised by the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA) in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO). 

This year’s event was on the theme: “Exploring the Role and Contribution of Kaizen in Promoting Innovation and Digitalisation in SMEs”.

Kaizen philosophy

At the event, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GEA, Kosi Yankey Ayeh, expressed delight in recognising the outstanding achievements of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the country. 

She highlighted how the Kaizen philosophy had revolutionised workplaces while noting its impact on local businesses.

Mrs Ayeh explained that JICA, in partnership with GEA, introduced Kaizen to over 100 MSMEs in seven regions of the country in 2019. 

Since then, she added, thousands of them had been trained in Kaizen principles through partnerships with the Mastercard Foundation’s Young Africa Works Project and the Ghana Jobs and Skills Project.

“These initiatives have laid the foundation for a new wave of Ghanaian entrepreneurship—one that is committed to continuous improvement, operational excellence and sustainable growth,” she said.

JICA

The Chief Representative of JICA Ghana, Suzuki Momoko, noted that JICA had been supporting the development of MSMEs in Ghana for nearly two decades, starting with the implementation of a study on the promotion of the development of local industries alongside the Ministry of Trade and Industry. 

The study, she said, also introduced the Kaizen approach to the palm oil manufacturing community in the Ashanti Region, helping to improve productivity and the quality of palm oil, which is now being exported to Germany.

Ms Momoko said currently, more than 384 MSMEs across seven regions, namely Ashanti, Bono, Bono East, Ahafo, Northern, Central and Greater Accra, had implemented Kaizen through the support of GEA, helping to improve their businesses and drive growth.

The Director of MSME Development at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Stella A. Ansah, emphasised the success of businesses, particularly MSMEs that relied on their ability to adapt, innovate and continuously improve.