Category: Industry

The Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) has received the Business Leader of the Year (Customer Service) award at the Ghana Business League Awards 2024 held in Accra.

The award, per the organizers, is a testament of the relentless efforts and remarkable contributions made by the customer service team and led by management showcasing committment to maintaining a consistent brand identity, goodwill and elevating standards within the avistion industry.

A statement issued in Accra by the Company said it would be recalled that Kotoka International Airport emerged ‘Winner’ of the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) for Best Airport by Size and Region in Africa on three consecutive ocassions; 2019, 2020 and 2021.

It said the awards were in recognition of GACL’s commitment to prioritising customer experience to make the passenger journey a pleasant one.

The ASQ awards represent the highest possible recognition for Airport Operators around the world and recognizes excellence in customer service.

The statement said GAC
L remained committed to maintaining its high standards in customer care towards its passengers as they accept the award.

The Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) has received the Business Leader of the Year (Customer Service) award at the Ghana Business League Awards 2024 held in Accra.

The award, per the organizers, is a testament of the relentless efforts and remarkable contributions made by the customer service team and led by management showcasing committment to maintaining a consistent brand identity, goodwill and elevating standards within the avistion industry.

A statement issued in Accra by the Company said it would be recalled that Kotoka International Airport emerged ‘Winner’ of the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) for Best Airport by Size and Region in Africa on three consecutive ocassions; 2019, 2020 and 2021.

It said the awards were in recognition of GACL’s commitment to prioritising customer experience to make the passenger journey a pleasant one.

The ASQ awards represent the highest possible
recognition for Airport Operators around the world and recognizes excellence in customer service.

The statement said GACL remained committed to maintaining its high standards in customer care towards its passengers as they accept the award.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Opportunity International Savings and Loans Ltd. (OISL), a leading provider of financial services in the country, has held financial literacy forums for its SME and microloan clients.

The forums formed part of activities to mark the 20th anniversary celebrations of the financial company.

Mr. Kwame Owusu-Boateng, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Institution, said the forums were to facilitate an open dialogue to share insights and gather feedback from the clients to improve services and products for customers.

The CEO said the forums were also to shed more light on OISL’s digital platforms and how clients could use them to access services in a more efficient way.

He expressed gratitude to the clients for their valuable feedback and assured them of OISL’s continual commitment to the provision of excellent services.

Dr. Francis Takyi, the Chief Risk Officer of the Company, spoke about OISL’s SME Collateral Requirements, detailing the various types of collaterals needed for the various categories of
loans.

He elaborated on the ‘Five Cs’ of credit (character, capital, capability, condition, and collateral) considered during loan assessments.

Mr. Francis Owusu Ansah, the Chief Business Officer of OISL, guided the SME and microloan clients through the basic loan requirements, application processes, turnaround time, and post-disbursement protocols.

Some clients shared their success stories and congratulated OISL on its 20th anniversary.

They also commended OISL for its support during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The engagements took place on the 2nd and 5th of April in Accra and Kumasi, respectively.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Kayoyi Limited, a leading e-commerce company, has begun operations in the country with the goal to fulfill the long awaited desire of the ordinary Ghanaian consumers looking for quality products at their doorsteps.

All products listed on Kayoyi Ghana’s page are of top-notch quality with trusted brands and supplies to maximise customer satisfaction and build brand loyalty.

It is the only platform that has all Muslim products such as quality Abaya, Jalabs, Tasbaha, Islamic books amongst others.

Mr Senna Bortsi, Chief Executive Officer, Kayoyi Ghana, who briefed the Ghana News Agency about the operations of the company in the country, said, ‘The company, as an effective standards unit, ensures that all products listed on its page for sale are verified from trusted sources and manufacturers.’

Mr Bortsi said the company had the best rapid delivery system deployed across the country adding, ‘The delivery unit ensures customers get their products within a 24-hour mark period. It is revealing that this is one of
the hallmarks of Kayoyi everywhere it operates, and the company is making efforts to improve this even further.’

He said the company had several promotional campaigns all-year-round adding, ‘The current Eid Promo, which seeks to give customers the opportunity to buy any product on our webpage at a reduced price, is nothing but the brightest campaign so far in the e-commerce sector in Ghana.’

He said: ‘With its added advantage of comfort and convenience, bespoke orders, flexible payment plan, on time delivery and many more is nothing less than mouth-watering packages for the Ghanaian consumer. These and many more campaigns will follow in the coming years.’

He touched on the company’s infrastructure, saying it had deployed an advanced state-of-the-art infrastructure to ensure access, convenience, responsive, user-friendly interface, and safe e-commerce transactions in the country.

Mr Bortsi spoke about corporate social responsibility and indicated, ‘The company empowers its customers, suppliers, staff, and
the public in ways that have an overall impact on the operational environment. Regular educational programmes will be organised for customers on best customer service, fashion trends and wardrobe malfunction remedies.’

Kayoyi Ghana has an exceptional customer relations culture with its well-trained customer centric staff, after sales inquiry and above all continuous communication pattern to assist the customers satisfy their desires in products purchase and enquiry,’ he said.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Zenith Bank Ghana capped off a stellar year in 2023, with total assets surging by nearly 44 per cent to reach GHS13.86 billion as profit before tax moved to GHS1.02 billion.

This represented a 284.35 per cent reversal from the GHS554.6 million loss recorded in 2022 as a result of the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP).

A driving force behind the performance was high customer confidence in the Bank as deposits grew by GHS3.32 billion, to reach GHS11.7 billion for the period.

Similarly, the Bank expanded its loan book to GHS2.25 billion, GHS390.7 million higher than in the previous year.

Mr Henry C. Onwuzurigbo, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Zenith Bank Ghana, said, ‘We are glad to see the trust our customers have placed in the bank’s stability and financial strength. This deposit mobilisation strengthened our liquidity position, allowing us to continue providing essential financial services to our clientele.’

‘Again, the upswing in lending activity is a positive indicator for Ghana’s e
conomy. It indicates growing confidence in businesses and a potential increase in economic productivity,’ he added.

Consequently, interest income – a vital indicator of a bank’s lending and investment activities – surged by GHS317 million to GHS1.38 billion, highlighting the success of its strategies in loan origination and managing investment portfolios.

Additionally, fee and commission income grew by GHS49 million.

But the real highlight of the year was the exceptional performance in trading. Net trading income more than doubled from GHS156.7 million to GHS332.6 million, potentially fueled by favourable market conditions or strategic trading decisions by the Bank.

The Bank had to steer through some challenges which impacted its net profit in 2023 such as the GHS109 million impairment loss on financial assets, which impacted the bottom line.

This, however, was a tenth of the GHS1.19 billion recognised in 2022.

Operating income appreciated by GHS546 million to GHS1.6 billion, highlighting the underlying
strength of the bank’s core business activities in generating healthy and consistent revenue.

The bank’s shareholders’ funds also improved significantly by 68 per cent from GHS982million post-DDEP to GHS1.66 billion due to its exceptional performance in 2023.

Market watchers believe that by tackling the impairment losses and implementing cost optimisation strategies, growing its risk assets as well as investment portfolio, Zenith Bank Ghana is well-positioned to translate its impressive revenue growth into long-term financial success, especially as the bank’s focus on customer satisfaction and strategic revenue generation sets a strong foundation for a prosperous future.

The Bank’s 2023 performance positions it for continued success in the years to come.

Source: Ghana News Agency

ADAMA West Africa Limited, a leading manufacturer of pesticides, has engaged stakeholders in the cocoa industry as part of measures to provide a robust cost-effective supply network to enhance productivity of cocoa farms.

The engagement afforded the company’s management an opportunity to obtain feedback from Chief Farmers, Cocoa Input Dealers and Distributors in the value chain on its products’ efficacy.

Mr Joshua Banana Awutey, the Marketing and Development Manager of ADAMA West Africa Limited, told participants that the company’s products were well-researched, tried, tested and safe for use.

He said with extensive global presence and direct reach to farmers, ADAMA West Africa continued to identify problems facing cocoa farmers and address them through innovative solutions.

Mr Awutey said ADAMA products such as Banjo Forte 400, Vamos 500 SC, Ema Star 112 EC, Acetar Star 46 EC, and Trivor 310 DC among others, were effective and efficient in controlling major insect pests and diseases on cocoa.

He, howeve
r, cautioned farmers not to mix two products or chemicals together to avoid complications, and appealed to farmers to read instructions on labels and seek advice from extension officers before spraying the chemicals on their crops.

He reminded farmers that with regular farm sanitation, the insect population in the farm would reduce without spraying.

The Western-South Regional Manager of Cocoa Health and Extension Division (CHED) of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Mr Samuel Osei, said the news from the Chief Executive Officer of COCOBOD that Ghana had lost over 500,000 hectares of cocoa swollen shoot virus disease was a serious concern to the sector, especially to the Division.

He added that cocoa production had declined in the last three years thereby affecting the local economy.

He said COCOBOD, therefore, welcomed the collaboration with ADAMA West Africa Limited to sensitize cocoa technical officers, farmers, and Agro Input Dealers on the right and appropriate use of their products for maximum yields.

M
r Osei asked ADAMA West Africa to continue to produce more potent and quality products to mitigate the challenges farmers faced on their farms.

He said as part of the Productivity Enhancement Programme, COCOBOD had earmarked 900,000 hectares of cocoa farms for pruning throughout the year.

Out of this figure, 222,798 hectares would be pruned in the Western-South Region, he noted.

He said as part of the Agenda Restoration, cocoa farmers in the Western-South Region were being supported technically to increase their production through the adoption of good agronomic practices such as pruning, poultry manure application, foliar fertilizer application, hand pollination and effective crop protection to produce at least 300,000 metric tonnes of cocoa between 2023/2024 and 2024/2025.

The Western-South Manager said COCOBOD would assist all cooperatives, associations, and groups with standard and motorized pruners as well as fuel and lubricants for massive cooperative-led pruning exercise of all cocoa farms in the Re
gion.

He called on cocoa farmers to support the Agenda Restoration (Ah-Res-300K!) to restore and revamp cocoa production in the Region for enhanced economic activities in the cocoa growing communities.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, Director General, World Trade Organization (WTO), has urged African countries to strengthen regional integration through the transformative potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

She said with evolving global trade dynamics, AfCFTA was significant as a catalyst for economic growth and development across Africa through regional trade.

Dr Iweala was speaking virtually at the 2024 ECOWAS Investment Forum (EIF) which took place in Lome, Togo, on April 4th and 5th 2024 in Lome, Togo on the theme: ‘Transforming ECOWAS Communities in a Challenging Environment.’

This year’s forum focused on stimulating economic growth, creating sustainable jobs, and building resilience in the face of global challenges.

To promote investment opportunities in key sectors of the ECOWAS member states, stimulate economic growth, create sustainable jobs, and build resilience in the face of global challenges such as food security, infrastructure development, and climate change, the EIF 20
24 had over 700 participants joining physically and some 400 others joining remotely.

The participants, including representatives from various ECOWAS member states, officials from the ECOWAS Commission, industry experts, managing directors and CEOs of financial institutions, said to unlock Africa’s full potential, there was the need to address the glaring deficit in infrastructure through robust resource mobilisation strategies.

Dr Okonjo Iweala said to boost investments, African countries needed to consider demographics, driven by youth as the workforce and the market of the future while enhancing regional integration through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and growing the importance of commercial services digitally.

She said AfCFTA represented a historic milestone in Africa’s quest for greater integration and economic empowerment.

The WTO Director General said West Africa and the African continent continued to attract investors through trade to stimulate economic growth and create emplo
yment.

According to her, despite challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, international trade had rebounded and progressed steadily.

She said in the last quarter of 2023, the volume of goods exchanged was 6.3 per cent higher than the peak reached before the pandemic in the third quarter of 2019, and 19.1 per cent higher than the 2015 average.

Commercial services trade, she noted, grew by 21 per cent in US dollar value from 2019 to 2023.

‘To continue development despite various challenges, the strategy has been to decentralize and diversify supply chains. At the WTO, we refer to this process as ‘reglobalisation’ with the aim of bringing more regions out of marginality into the global arena, while stimulating job creation,’ she said.

She explained that ECOWAS countries accounted for 0.7 per cent of global trade, mainly focused on exporting raw materials, while Africa accounted for three per cent of global trade.

To achieve globalization, Dr Iweala suggested that governments must wo
rk on reducing commercial costs within ECOWAS and improving physical and digital infrastructure.

She said, ‘Customs duty codes have been improved, facilitating the movement of goods at borders. Processes have been modernized with electronic tools and the digitization of other procedures.’

The Director General said the Investment Facilitation Agreement for Development, finalized by 166 members at our 13th ministerial conference in Abu Dhabi, could facilitate access to long-term financing by streamlining approval processes and avoiding bureaucratic obstacles.

‘With ECOWAS facing an investment deficit of around $12 million, this agreement is welcome. Thirteen out of fifteen members have signed, and we hope the remaining two will follow suit.,’ she stated.

Other projects are underway, such as collaboration between the WTO and local banks to facilitate digital access for businesses, especially women-led projects (particularly in exports). The digital economy presents an opportunity to seize,’ Dr Iweala said.

Mr Yao Kouassi, Managing Director, Vista Bank, said West Africa stood out as one of the most promising and attractive markets for investors due to numerous untapped sectors with vast potential for

innovation, such as renewable energy.

He said with Africa currently representing 16 per cent of the global population and projected to reach 25 per cent by 2050, there was significant opportunity to tap into a skilled workforce and create new avenues for growth.

Source: Ghana News Agency