Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry inaugurates Wa branch
The Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) has opened a branch at Wa in the Upper West Region of Ghana.
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This is in fulfilment of the chamber's strategic decision to have branches in all 10 regions of the country by 2015.
The inauguration was done by the Deputy Upper West Regional Minister, Mr Abu Kasambata.
He read the speech of the regional minister, Dr Ephraim Avea Nsoh, on his behalf and expressed his appreciation to the chamber for extending their services to the business community in the Upper West Region.
He noted that measures were being put in place to develop the Wa airstrip for commercial flights.
That, he explained, would facilitate and enhance the movement of people, goods and services to and from the region.
The regional minister said the initiative taken by GCCI to establish a branch in the Upper West Region was very laudable.
According to the minister, in today’s business environment, success is not achieved by the amount of assets and financial resources an entity has, but rather the synergy that is built with other businesses.
He said he had no doubt about the chamber's ability to provide the necessary business support services to the small, medium and large companies in the region to succeed.
“Although the region faces myriad of challenges, we have made positive strides and contributions to ensure the growth of the national economy,” he added.
Present at the ceremony was the Chief Director of the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI), Mr Dawunoba Baaka, who on behalf of the Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, noted that the region was endowed with natural resources such as cotton, groundnuts, shea butter and above all vast stretches of land, which makes it conducive to set up industries to add value to these raw materials.
Mr Baaka indicated that the government was ready to provide the necessary support to the business community in the Upper West Region.
He mentioned one of the support interventions available from the government as the Youth Entrepreneurship Support Fund.
According to him, although the country benefitted from foreign direct investments (FDI), it was time local investors also took the opportunity to invest locally in the region. He said with the help of the chamber, that could be possible.
Mr Baaka also took the opportunity to appeal to businesses in the Upper West Region to advertise their products on the Web-based Product Gallery.
“The Web-based gallery is an online platform to display made-in-Ghana products to interested buyers and investors,” he explained.
The President of the GCCI, Dr Seth Adjei Baah, encouraged the business community to apply discipline in managing their businesses as that was the key to growing a successful business.
The executives of the Wa Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry were sworne into office, with Messrs Bright Yelviel-Diong Baligi, Iddrisu Salford and Juatie Douri as the Chairman, Vice-Chairman and treasurer, respectively.
In his acceptance speech, Mr Baligi pledged on behalf of the executives to work assiduously to ensure the success of the chamber.
The Paramount Chief of the Gwollu Traditional Area, Kuoro Kuri Bukutie Limann IV, who was the Chairman for the occasion and a chamber member, expressed his gratitude to the chamber for extending their services to the region and urged all businesses to register with it.
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