Individuals, companies honoured at Made in Ghana Awards

Forty individuals and companies were honoured at the sixth Made-in-Ghana Awards held in Accra last Friday.

The Minister of Information, Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, was declared the Young Personality of the Year; Ghana’s Ambassador to China, Mr Edward Boateng, received the Ambassador of the Year award; the Founder and Group Chairman of Kasapreko Company, Dr Kwabena Adjei, was adjudged the overall best industrialist; the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of JRA Cosmetics, Ms Jane Reason Ahadzie, was declared the Woman Industrialist of the Year, while the CEO of the Blow Group of Companies, Mr Dhiraj Lakhiani, received the Chief Executive Officer of the Year award.

The National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, was declared the Century Leader; the Chairman of Avnash Industries, Mr A. K. Mirchandani, received the Lifetime Achievement award, while GTP’s Adepa Dumas was named the Overall Best Product of the Year.

Event

The awards, which were held on the theme: “Promoting industrialisation: The key to job creation and economic development”, was organised by the Entrepreneur Foundation of Ghana (EFG) to honour distinguished individuals and companies whose products are made in Ghana and have impacted the lives of the people and also delivered efficient services in the country.

The awards, which also afforded opportunity for some local companies to exhibit their products and services, were graced by some Ministers of State, players in the business sector and members of the Diplomatic Corps.

Internship programmes

The Minister of Business Development, Dr Mohammed Ibrahim Awal, called on businesses in the country to prioritise the development of young entrepreneurs by offering them internship programmes in their organisations.

That, he said, would help produce more graduates with entrepreneurship skills to reduce the high rate of unemployment in the country.

“About 60 per cent of entrepreneurs in the country are young people, which means if we help develop the youth by instilling in them entrepreneurship skills, they have high potential to help the country achieve its vision of a Ghana beyond aid,” Mr Awal added.

He said already the government had rolled out a programme to allow students to undergo internship in various companies, adding: “This year alone, we have trained 12,000 under the programme and we are hoping to train an additional 40,000 next year.”

Innovations

The Board Chairman of the EFG, Dr Micheal Agyekum Addo, said there was the need for the country to wake up to 21st century challenges, adding: “We need to start thinking about corporate entrepreneurship by cutting down cost through innovation and services and by building capacities that will enable organisations to accelerate new business growth.”

He suggested that policy makers should encourage and support businesses with innovative ideas to harness their potential for growth.

Other awardees

Among companies which received awards were Homefresh Konkonte Flour, best quality indigenous food product; Akoma Soya Beans Oil, best quality vegetable cooking oil; Melcom Limited, best Made-in-Ghana retail outlet; Old Soldier Jumbo Mosquito Coil, best quality mosquito coil, and Taabea Herbal Mixture, premium quality herbal mixture of the year.

Others were Boss Baker Beef Roll, best quality package pastries; Happy Man Bitters, most promising herbal bitters; Prostacure Herbal Tea, premium quality herbal tea; Polyfer Forte Syrup and Capsules, premium quality pharmaceutical products; Azar Paint, premium quality paint of the year, and Royal Crown Packaging, best packaging industry.