Mr Akenten Appiah-Menkah, an Industrialist, has pointed out that this was the time for Ghanaians to push their brands by patronising made in Ghana goods.
Mr Appiah-Menkah was speaking at the opening of "Grand Sales 2001" in Kumasi, being held under the theme: "Bringing buyers and sellers together".
The weeklong fair is being organised by the Ghana Trade Fair Company Limited in collaboration with the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), National Board for Small-Scale Industries (NBSSI), Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and under the auspices of the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
He also called for support for the numerous artisans at the Suame Magazine in Kumasi and suggested that the year 2002 be declared "Ghana Year".
The Industrialist said that no country could survive without the business community.
He said it was, therefore, a matter of regret that over the past 20 years Ghanaian businessmen were subjected to insults and were branded as thieves and criminals and attempts were made to kill all their businesses.
The industrialist said it was to correct this unfortunate situation that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government had made the private sector the engine of growth.
Mr Appiah-Menkah told industrialists that the quality of their product, its packaging, pricing and publicity needed to be considered if they were to compete favourably in the global market.
He noted that one area where an industrialist or manufacturer could publicise his product was at trade fairs and exhibitions saying that these were the most effective means of marketing a product.Mr Kwasi Osei Agyei, Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, urged producers to place emphasis on the consumer as their priority saying that research had shown that well packaged made in Ghana goods sold quickly in the markets just like any imported goods.
He noted that Grand Sales had good international recognition in the ECOWAS sub-region pointing out that since its introduction in 1991, it had contributed immensely towards the development of quality products and created vibrant markets for the less known products and services both locally and internationally.
Grand Sales had for the past 10 years won the hearts of many industrial and commercial operators and had been the most accepted and well-patronised mid-year sales event.
Mr E. E. K. Acquah-Moses, Regional Manager of AGI for the Northern Sector, said the Ashanti Region had in the past held its fairs at the National Cultural Centre but noted that the site had now become inappropriate due to the dislocation of trading as a result of the Kejetia project.
Mr Acquah-Moses said AGI was proud to be associated with the Ghana Trade Fair Company in organising the events as everything pointed to successful activities during the weeklong sales.He said AGI was particularly happy about the choice of Kumasi as its first location for an outreach programme after successfully organising a series in Accra.
Ms Esther Dzifa Ofori, Chief Executive of the Ghana Trade Fair Company Limited, said the choice of Kumasi for its outreach programme was symbolic since it was easily accessible and that Kumasi and for that matter Ashanti served as the commercial hub of the country not to talk of the business dynamics of the people of the region.
