Build sustainable partnership for growth - President urges supply chain practitioners

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has called for strong partnership between Ghanaian stakeholders in the field of integrated supply chain and their global counterparts to ensure that businesses remain competitive and resilient.

That, he said, was significant to put forward an integrated supply chain management system as a formidable force to help support and accelerate the economic development of the country.

In a speech as the Guest of Honour at the maiden Chartered Institute of Supply Chain Management (CISCM) Recognition and Dinner Night 2023 in Accra, the President noted that CISCM must provide the needed support and capacity — building not only to members but also to government and other institutions as part of measures to facilitate national development.

“As we put forward an integrated supply chain management system, it is important that we build partnerships across the global supply chain to ensure that businesses remain competitive to drive growth and development,” the President said in his speech read on his behalf by the Minister of Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah.

The event, which was on the theme: “Integrated supply chain management: A catalyst for development,” saw 31 individuals and organisations being honoured.
 Seven of the awards were non-competitive.

Notable individual awardees included Ghanaian entrepreneur and the founder, chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of the McDan Group of Companies, Daniel McKorley,  who emerged as the CISCM Man of the Year, Tullow’s Otuko John-Teye was crowned the CISCM Woman of the Year, Jospong’s Hannah Boahemaa Otu (CISCM Practitioner of the Year), VRA’s Solomon Twum, who was adjudged the Best Student of the year and Godwin Nii Amarh (Transecco Minerals Ltd).

The companies that were awarded included Jospong Group of Companies, Tullow Ghana Limited, McDan Group of Companies, Volta River Authority (VRA), Tema Port, Union Beverage, Bethlog Limited, Agri Impact Group and Transecco Minerals Ltd.

Others were the Ghana Armed Forces, Africa World Airlines (AWA) and Coca Cola Bottling, Equatorial Guinea.

Also, some individuals and organisations were awarded the CISCM West Africa Excellence award. They included the Executive Chairman of the Comcraft Group in Kenya, Manu Chandaria, Patricia Poku-Diaby(CEO Plot Enterprise Group), the University of Cape Coast and the Catholic University College, Fiapre.

The awardees were presented with shields and citations.

Leveraging technology

President Akufo-Addo said the government was optimistic that the adoption of technology would serve as a means to leapfrog the development of the ecosystem and enable the country to overcome legacy problems as well as improve both economic and public sector governance.

As a result, he said the government had successfully rolled out the Ghana Card, digital address system, paperless port system and mobile money interoperability to support the digital economy.

He said a digitised economy had enabled individuals and companies to transact businesses without the need for physical infrastructure or "brick-and-mortar" offices.

“And so, we can confidently say that with this development, the country has efficiently put itself in the position to grow and create jobs for the youth.

 “It is clear that professionals like yourselves have been instrumental in ensuring that there are efficient goods and services, for that matter the survival of our society,” the President added.

Rewarding excellence

The Chairman of the maiden CISCM Recognition & Dinner Night 2023, Paul-Victor Avudzivi, noted that the recognition night was set aside to celebrate and reward the efforts of individuals and institutions that were making sustainable and productive contributions towards local content development.

He said the event was also to facilitate the growth of the country, sub-region, the continent of Africa and globally through the use of integrated supply chain management and practice.

“This recognition night is, therefore, an annual awards ceremony to reward excellence in the preceding year.

 In terms of scope, it is not only national in character but also covers the sub-region of West Africa and the whole of the African continent,” he said.

Integrated supply chain

The President of CISCM, Richard Okrah, noted that as a discipline, integrated supply chain management was the driver for ensuring the free flow of goods and services.

He said it also provided effective linkages of enterprise resources, and value chains without which national growth and indeed international trade and effective economic development would be adversely impacted.

“This basically underlines the theme of tonight's event namely ‘Integrated supply chain management as a catalyst for development’, under our strategic goal of engaging to improve local content development,” he said.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has called for strong partnership between Ghanaian stakeholders in the field of integrated supply chain and their global counterparts to ensure that businesses remain competitive and resilient.

That, he said, was significant to put forward an integrated supply chain management system as a formidable force to help support and accelerate the economic development of the country.

In a speech as the Guest of Honour at the maiden Chartered Institute of Supply Chain Management (CISCM) Recognition and Dinner Night 2023 in Accra, the President noted that CISCM must provide the needed support and capacity — building not only to members but also to government and other institutions as part of measures to facilitate national development.

“As we put forward an integrated supply chain management system, it is important that we build partnerships across the global supply chain to ensure that businesses remain competitive to drive growth and development,” the President said in his speech read on his behalf by the Minister of Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah.

The event, which was on the theme: “Integrated supply chain management: A catalyst for development,” saw 31 individuals and organisations being honoured.
 Seven of the awards were non-competitive.

Notable individual awardees included Ghanaian entrepreneur and the founder, chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of the McDan Group of Companies, Daniel McKorley,  who emerged as the CISCM Man of the Year, Tullow’s Otuko John-Teye was crowned the CISCM Woman of the Year, Jospong’s Hannah Boahemaa Otu (CISCM Practitioner of the Year), VRA’s Solomon Twum, who was adjudged the Best Student of the year and Godwin Nii Amarh (Transecco Minerals Ltd).

The companies that were awarded included Jospong Group of Companies, Tullow Ghana Limited, McDan Group of Companies, Volta River Authority (VRA), Tema Port, Union Beverage, Bethlog Limited, Agri Impact Group and Transecco Minerals Ltd.

Others were the Ghana Armed Forces, Africa World Airlines (AWA) and  Coca Cola Bottling, Equatorial Guinea.

Also, some individuals and organisations were awarded the CISCM West Africa Excellence award.

They included the Executive Chairman of the Comcraft Group in Kenya, Manu Chandaria, Patricia Poku-Diaby(CEO Plot Enterprise Group), the University of Cape Coast and the Catholic University College, Fiapre.

The awardees were presented with shields and citations.

Leveraging technology

President Akufo-Addo said the government was optimistic that the adoption of technology would serve as a means to leapfrog the development of the ecosystem and enable the country to overcome legacy problems as well as improve both economic and public sector governance.

As a result, he said the government had successfully rolled out the Ghana Card, digital address system, paperless port system and mobile money interoperability to support the digital economy.

He said a digitised economy had enabled individuals and companies to transact businesses without the need for physical infrastructure or "brick-and-mortar" offices.

“And so, we can confidently say that with this development, the country has efficiently put itself in the position to grow and create jobs for the youth.

 “It is clear that professionals like yourselves have been instrumental in ensuring that there are efficient goods and services, for that matter the survival of our society,” the President added.

Rewarding excellence

The Chairman of the maiden CISCM Recognition & Dinner Night 2023, Paul-Victor Avudzivi, noted that the recognition night was set aside to celebrate and reward the efforts of individuals and institutions that were making sustainable and productive contributions towards local content development.

He said the event was also to facilitate the growth of the country, sub-region, the continent of Africa and globally through the use of integrated supply chain management and practice.

“This recognition night is, therefore, an annual awards ceremony to reward excellence in the preceding year.

In terms of scope, it is not only national in character but also covers the sub-region of West Africa and the whole of the African continent,” he said.

Integrated supply chain

The President of CISCM, Richard Okrah, noted that as a discipline, integrated supply chain management was the driver for ensuring the free flow of goods and services.

He said it also provided effective linkages of enterprise resources, and value chains without which national growth and indeed international trade and effective economic development would be adversely impacted.

“This basically underlines the theme of tonight's event namely ‘Integrated supply chain management as a catalyst for development’, under our strategic goal of engaging to improve local content development,” he said.