Made in Ghana Street Fair scheduled for 16 December to help boost patronage among Ghanaians - President Akufo Addo

A made in Ghana street fair is scheduled to take place from the 16th to the 17th of December 2017 on the Oxford street in Osu here in Accra as part of government's efforts to boost the patronage of made in Ghana goods by the citizenry, President Akufo Addo has announced. According to the President, the theme for the fair will be "let's grow Ghana, eat Ghana, and buy Ghana".

Delivering the Guest of Honour’s Speech at the maiden awards ceremony of the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce, held at the Banquet Hall of the State House in Accra under the theme “Enterprises in Transition: Recognizing Innovative Businesses in Ghana”, President Akufo Addo said one of the sure ways to boost the economy is to have the population patronising local goods and services.

President Akufo Addo commended an initiative by the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce dubbed the "industrial value chain Project" which is aimed at generating bottom up data for decision making to help build and speed up Ghana's Agro industrial drive. The President pledged government's support for the team of expects who will be undertaking the said project.

Nana Dr. Appiagyei Dankawoso, President of Ghana National Chamber of Commerce in his welcome address urged government to as a matter necessity organize a stakeholders forum between The Chamber, financial institutions and government to find workable ways to reduce interest rates in the country. He added that if the current level of interest rate is not review downward, it may have very serious effects on the businesses of the members of the Chamber.

The Ghana National Chamber of Commerce (GNCC) is the representative organ of the business community in Ghana that seeks to promote and protect the commercial and industrial interests in the country. From the colonial era, through independence and post-independence era, the Chamber has contributed immensely to the economic development of the country mainly through trade and investments. 

With its mandate enshrined in LI 611 of 1968 (Act 262), the Chamber is enjoined to provide leadership for the growth and prosperity of businesses in Ghana. As an autonomous business support organization, the Chamber promotes and protects the interest of businesses by serving as a link between established businesses, the emerging sector, and government at the various levels while offering its members a myriad of business support services towards the general development of the Ghanaian economy. 

As part of efforts to foster ethical practices and promote businesses, the Chamber has initiated the GNCC Business Awards to celebrate the very best and finest of Ghanaian businesses that have demonstrated excellence in leadership and innovation in contributing to the socio-economic development of Ghana. 

The five point Objectives of the Awards are; to acknowledge and celebrate key businesses and personalities who have contributed meaningfully to business practice in Ghana, to inspire and promote the entrepreneurial spirit in the Ghanaian by highlighting the success stories of outstanding award winners, to unearth the depth of existing talents in the country by recognizing excellence in Corporate Reputation Management (CRM), to promote high professional standards and to highlight the vital role of the Chamber in championing advocacy and networking.

The Awards were in three sections. The first section of the Awards had 16 categories with emphasis on excellence and quality in service and product delivery: the categories and winners alike are: Agriculture, B. Balvd Limited, Arts and Crafts, Akila Limited , Automobile & Dealership, Japan Motors Limited, Banks, Bank of Africa, Catering, Trafix Catering.

The rest were, Emerging Business of the Year, Royal Crown Packaging Limited , Fashion Design, Guest Accommodation, Accra City Hotel Limited, Logistics, Global Cargo and Commodities Limited, , Manufacturing, Mining / Oil & Gas, Petrosol, Passenger Transport, S.K. Boafo Travel and Tours, and Insurance, Vanguard Assurance. 

The second section of the Awards had three (3) categories and they were: Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Michael Bozumbil of Petrosol, Chamber Business Man of the Year, Issa Ouedraogo of B. Balvd Limited and Chamber Business Woman of the Year, Bella Ahu of Trafix. 

The third section of the awards was a special award to the deserving Chamber Members/ Personalities and it was dubbed, Chamber’s Special Awards (Non-competitive). Tobinco pharmaceuticals, Nyonkopa Cocoa Buying Company, Bedrock Ventures Limited, Yvonne Exclusive Designs, Bank of Africa, Despite Group of companies, Manufacturing, and Coca Cola Bottling Company limited were amongst the recipients of this category of awards.