President Mahama: Promote Ghanaian Businesses Across Africa

By Kofi Thompson

One of the ways we can strengthen our national currency is to export more. A strong cedi also makes imported goods less expensive - a boon to consumers of foreign-made goods in Ghana.

The question is: has the time not come for the Ghanaian nation-state to empower its most innovative businesspeople - by actively supporting them to transform their businesses into pan-African entities?

Ghanaian presidents must ensure that whenever they embark on visits to sister African nations they include the most creative, dynamic and promising businesspeople in Ghana, in their entourage.

Ghanaian presidents must also actively promote corporate Ghana - by talking up their services and recommending them to their colleague presidents during African Union summits, and whenever those colleague presidents visit Ghana.

Companies like Ghana Commercial Bank; the UT Group; and the State Insurance Company can all grow their operations by moving into markets outside Ghana across Africa.

The Ghana Export Promotion Authority must actively promote the service sector.

Above all, it ought to be a key function of our diplomatic missions across Africa, to help such companies to establish themselves in the nations they represent Ghana in.

The UT Group and SIC, for example, could become pan-African giants within a decade - if the Ghanaian nation-state smoothens their path in new markets across the continent.

They could contribute positively to the societies of the new markets they enter in the continent - serving customers and improving their lives with their innovative products.

The profits they make in markets across Africa and repatriate to Ghana will help improve our balance of trade - and help strengthen our currency ultimately.

One of the easiest ways to restructure our national economy, is to focus on exporting goods and services to sister African nations. President Mahama should make that one of the legacies he leaves behind.

He can help entities such as the UT Group, SIC, Gridco, VRA, Engineers and Planners, as well as Ghanaian business tycoons like Alhaji Asuma Banda, Osei Kwame Despite, Mrs Villiers to set out on the path to becoming pan-African giants.

Let him take them with him, whenever he travels to a sister African nation and introduce them to their leaders - and ask them to help them establish their businesses there. A word to the wise...

Tel: 027 745 3109.

Email: peakofi.thompson@gmail.com.