CIMG declares support for Ghana beyond aid agenda

The Chartered Institute of Marketing, Ghana (CIMG) has declared support for the government's agenda to build local capacity to help move the country beyond aid.

 The institute has, therefore, called on other professional bodies and all industry players to rise up and be counted in the forward march to make the country less reliant on foreign aid.

Speaking at the 29th national marketing performance awards night in Accra last Saturday, the National President of the CIMG, Mr Kojo Mattah, said all Ghanaians needed to rally round the national flag to make the Ghana beyond aid agenda possible.

"The audacious declaration by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to move Ghana from the claws of an aid-dependent and beggar-bowl economy to a self-sufficient and prosperous nation which is able to provide the basic essentials for its people is in the right direction because it is evidently clear that over-liberalisation and an excessive appetite for foreign support has choked our economy over the years,” he said.

Awards

At the awards ceremony, 40 individuals, businesses and civil society organisations (CSOs) which had contributed in diverse ways to the development of the country were celebrated.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the McDan Group of Companies, Dr Daniel McKorley, emerged as the Marketing Man of the Year 2017, while the Marketing Woman of the Year award went to the Managing Director of Internet Solutions, Ms Yvette Atekpe.

The Marketing practitioner of the year award was won by Mr David Afflu, the business unit director of PZ Cussons.

Mr Mattah noted that the Ghana beyond aid declaration was a recognition that the country’s development trajectory needed an immediate paradigm shift because it was clear that no nation could fight poverty and create equal opportunities for citizens when it relied so much on imported goods without making the effort to industrialise.

Mr Mattah noted that the choice of "Marketing — A catalyst for driving Ghana beyond aid" as the theme of the CIMG awards night was to show that the institute, for its part, would play its role effectively to shape that agenda by mainstreaming the initiative into the national discourse.

President urged

He called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to take the bull by the horns by taking bold decisions that would help turn around the economy and engender sustainable national development.

He, however, called for concerted efforts and the right leadership to weed out corruption from the country if it had to move beyond aid.

"We can move Ghana beyond aid by eschewing corruption and its effects on costs of services and projects in the country,” he said, adding that that was important because it was the ordinary people who ended up paying for the high cost of corruption, particularly in the public sector.

Akwamuhene

The Akwamuhene, Odeneho Kwafo Akoto III, who was the Guest of Honour at the event, described the theme for the event as appropriate and timely.

He said marketing professionals needed to play a key role in building Ghana as a strong and credible brand to attract the right investments and also ensure that businesses boomed to expand the economy.

Odeneho Kwafo Akoto III called on the government to invest in the tourism and agricultural potential of the Akwamu State to help open up the area for development.

"Akwamu and Asuogyaman are two of the least tapped areas with great potential in tourism, agriculture and fresh water fishing.

We have the Akwamu Gorge conservation area which has been found to be the habitat of some of the rarest flora and fauna in the world. We want good investment to create businesses and job opportunities for the youth," he said.