Association calls for law to regulate advertising
The President of the Advertising Association of Ghana (AAG), Mr Joel Nettey, has attributed the influx of foreign advertising agencies in the country to the lack of a law to regulate the practice of the profession.
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“As an advertising agency, you cannot enter a country and start operating anyhow without due process. But that is not the case in Ghana,” he said when he led some executive and council members to pay a courtesy call on the management of the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL) in Accra last Wednesday.
Mr Nettey stated that “Expatriates come into the country and set up advertising agencies which do not work in the interest of the nation.”
“How will our people develop if we do not try hard to promote made-in-Ghana products and industries?” he asked.
The purpose of the visit was to officially introduce the new executive and council members of the association to the management of GCGL and to commend the company for its support for the association over the years.
It was also used to officially invite the management of the GCGL to the upcoming Gong-Gong Awards which is scheduled for December this year.
Passage of the ASB Bill
Mr Nettey, therefore, called for the passage of the Advertising Standards Bill (ASB) to regulate the practice of the profession in the country.
When passed into law, the President said, the ASB would bring sanity into the advertising industry and give a competitive advantage to Ghanaian industries.
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The ASB would also help regulate outdoor, radio and television (TV) advertising across the country and serve as a guide for both members and non-members of the industry.
He added that the association would do its best to set up an institute to train practitioners in the field.
Run down of industry
The Managing Director of GCGL, Mr Kenneth Ashigbey, added his voice to the call for the passage of the ASB.
He said it was disheartening to see some practitioners running the industry down and stressed that the situation called for regulation.
“You cannot go to countries like Nigeria as an advertising agency and start operating without going through due process. You will be arrested and prosecuted,” Mr Ashigbey said.
Graphic’s support
To help the growth of Ghanaian advertising agencies, Mr Ashigbey said the GCGL was giving encouraging discounts to local agencies.
That, he said, was one of the ways to encourage the growth of indigenous Ghanaian businesses, particularly in the advertising industry.
Mr Ashigbey gave an assurance that the company would collaborate with the AAG to encourage the patronage of locally manufactured products and services.