Promoting Trade and Investment: Minnesota-Ghana Business Roundtable and Business Reception

In collaboration with the U.S. Embassy in Ghana, AmCham Ghana, on Thursday, July 7, 2022, hosted the Minnesota-Ghana Business Roundtable and a business reception in honor of the visiting trade delegation from the US state of Minnesota.

The trade delegation was led by Minnesota Africans United, with support from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. The delegates included business leaders from various sectors such as agribusiness, healthcare, ICT, and renewable energy. They were in the country to explore possible partnerships to bolster trade and investment between the state of Minnesota and Ghana.

Speaking at the business roundtable, the CEO of Ghana Free Zones Authority, Dr. Mike Oquaye Jnr. stated that the free zones authority is diversifying with more focus on companies with foreign markets by providing incentives to drive production. “The Ghana Free Zones Authority used to concentrate mainly on exemptions for export, but now we are looking at a different future, and that future is giving incentives, monetary and non-monetary to companies that have foreign markets. So that is the exact kind of delegation that’s here.”

Dr. Mike Oquaye Jnr. reiterated the authority’s readiness to assist companies to establish their businesses in the country and encouraged the delegation to explore opportunities in the Agricultural sector as there are a lot of incentives that make for mutual benefits. He also noted the importance of US companies in the various industrial parks in the country. “Wherever we have had American companies as anchor tenants, we have been able to scale up in no time,” he added.

Yofi Grant,  CEO of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, said Ghana is in the middle of the world and provides a 360-degree view, putting the country in a perfect position as the logistics hub of the world. He also noted the relevance of adding value to raw materials hence the government’s focus on manufacturing through its ‘One District One Factory‘ initiative.

He noted that Ghana’s peace, stability, and constitution that prohibits expropriation serve as security and assurance to investors that their interests are protected.

Other speakers at the roundtable included Kofi Adams from the Ministry of Trade and Industry, AmCham Ghana Executive Secretary, Simon Madjie, President and CEO of Minnesota Africans United, Basil Ajuo, Assistant Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Patrice Bailey, and Laurie Kelleher, Commercial Officer, at the U.S. Embassy Ghana.

The Chamber also hosted the visiting delegates for a business reception to allow Chamber members to network and establish possible business relations.

The delegation from Minnesota included Ben Dossman from Bija Bonanicals, Micheal Birchard, VP for Diversity and Inclusion at the Mitchell Hamline School of Law, Alexandra Spieldoch, CEO of Bountifeild Harvest, Samuel Ngwa, President and CEO of Dessco and Safari Pride, Brian Plourde, Founder of Lema Power, Richard Ayuk from Lema Power, Martin Akinseye from Concept Media, and Isaac Owens.

2022 US – Ghana Business Forum | Leveraging AfCFTA to Promote U.S-Africa Commercial Partnerships

The U.S Chamber of Commerce and the American Chamber of Commerce, Ghana, will organize the 3rd high-level meeting between US and Ghanaian Government Officials and Businesses on the official visit of the Deputy Secretary of Commerce, Don Graves. The U.S.-Business Forum is aimed at deepening diplomatic and commercial partnerships between Ghana and the United States for the successful implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA). The theme for the 2022 U.S.-Ghana Business Forum is: “Leveraging the AfCFTA to Promote U.SAfrica Commercial Partnerships.” This event is in line with the drive by the AfCFTA Secretariat to engage the private sector, the African diaspora, and other strategic partners for the effective implementation of the Agreement.

When: Thursday, June 16th, 2022
Time: 9:00am-1:30pm
Where: Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City, Accra

Click Here To Register

The forum will have plenary sessions with high-level government officials as speakers; and panel discussions on pertinent topics including Customs Modernization and Supply Chain Solutions to Promote Manufacturing Within the AfCFTA Zone; and Building Sustainable Digital Economy as a driver and an enabler for successful implementation of the AfCFTA.

Speakers at the forum include Honorable Ken Ofori-Atta (Minister of Finance) Deputy Secretary Don Graves (U.S Department of Commerce) Deputy Assistant Secretary Akuna Cook (U.S Department of State) Scott Eisner (President -U. S-Africa Business Center of the U.S Chamber of Commerce) Ayesha Bedwei IBE (President- American Chamber of Commerce in Ghana) and captains of the U.S-Ghana business community. The 2022 Forum aims to strengthen trade and investment, promote business partnerships, and opportunities between U.S. and Ghanaian businesses and review the manufacturing and digital sectors as enablers for the implementation of the single market project in Africa. At the end of the conference, it is expected that U.S.-Ghana commercial partnership will be projected and enhanced, focused on improving the investment climate in Ghana and the African continent.

Participants will be brought up to date on the latest trends in trade and investment on the continent and will have the opportunity to share their experiences and identify specific investment opportunities for future transactions. The Forum is organized by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) Ghana U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the U.S Embassy in Accra.

Africa Development Bank(AfDB) Financing Options and Strategies for Projects in Ghana

The Chamber, on May 26, 2022, hosted , Senior Commercial Liaison to the African Development Bank Group, and Elvire Yéré Kodio, MBA, Commercial Specialist to the African Development Bank, for discussions on the bank’s priority areas and strategy in Ghana and also how companies can properly position themselves to engage the bank.

The meeting was on the sidelines of AfDB’s 2022 Annual Meetings held in Accra.

Ashley Ndir presented the 0pportunities for U.S. companies, steps companies must follow for a successful engagement with the bank, and AfDB’s strategy for Ghana.

The AfDB Group provides assistance through two main windows – the African Development Bank (AfDB), which lends at market-based rates, and the African Development Fund (ADF), which provides grants and concessional financing to the least developed countries of the continent. The Bank also manages Trust Funds. ​

Opportunities available at the bank includes Project Procurement, which allows the country’s government to borrow funds from the AfDB Group for a public works project (goods, works, services), Corporate Procurement, with this AfDB Group itself, runs a competition for services, goods and works for its internal needs, and finally, Private Sector Financing, this allows the U.S. and other AfDB member country private sector firms partner with AfDB Private Sector Operations on financing solutions in support of private sector activities.​

The AfDB has provided financing for projects in various sectors of the Ghanaian economy, including the transport and Agricultural sectors, with the majority of funding.

This event was held in collaboration with the U.S. Embassy in Ghana and the U.S. Commercial Service.

Click Here to Download Presentation

 

Conship: A Reflection Of An Orientation To Provide Quality Services Across All Spheres Of The Logistics Industry

AmCham Ghana Membership, External Relations and Project Manager, Jane Okyere-Aduachie paid a courtesy call on the management of Consolidated Shipping Agencies Limited.

This engagement was her first official meeting with Conship. The purpose was to interact with the management to familiarize herself with the company’s operations and identify areas where the Chamber can offer assistance.

Conship is a long-standing member of AmCham Ghana. Aside from being a giant in the provision of services in the Oil and Gas industry, Conship has strong strengths in all areas of logistics, including the vertical markets that include Telecommunication, Consumables, and Contract Logistics, amongst others.

Conship is a hundred percent (100%) Ghanaian-owned and operated company. Over the years, it has diversified its operations into other areas of the logistics industry, such as Airfreight, Marine and Husbandry, Logistics, and Projects. The discovery of oil in commercial quantities in the Western Region (Offshore) of Ghana brought with it enormous opportunities for the Logistics and Supply Chain Industry. In this regard, Conship is currently recognized as an offshore and onshore logistics services company.

The company has three other operational branches strategically located in Tema, Accra and Takoradi. The Tema branch is strategically located on Plot number 21/22 of the commercial warehouse area of the Tema Main Harbour, with a floor area of 2395.74m2. The facility comes equipped with a two-unit warehouse with net internal floor area of 614.24m2 and volume of 3,562.59m3 for Container Freight Station Operations and Customs Bonded Warehousing operations.

The Accra branch is located in the newly constructed Swiss Port building. The 342sqm office located in the north wing of the new building houses the staff of Conship’s ever-growing Air Freight operations and is strategically located at the Airport to conveniently serve its customers The Takoradi branch is located in the Western Regional Capital, Takoradi where Conship has an Onshore Logistics Base at Apowa with a total floor area of 3980.62m2 to provide the needed logistical support for our clients. Learn more here

AmCham Ghana Meets With The New US Ambassador To Ghana

AmCham Ghana, on Monday, May 23, 2022, hosted the new U.S. Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia E. Palmer, at the AmCham secretariate.

The Ambassador met with the AmCham Ghana President, Ayesha Bedwei Ibe, and the Board of Directors for discussions on protecting and promoting the interest of U.S. companies as well as collaborating more on issues of mutual interest to further strengthen relations between Ghana and the United States.

Ambassador Palmer reaffirmed her commitment to working with the Chamber in creating a favorable business environment.

Ambassador Virginia E. Palmer was previously Acting Assistant Secretary for Energy Resources at the Department of State, overseeing U.S. foreign policy engagement at the critical intersection of our energy, climate, and national security goals.  She took up that post after serving as Deputy Commandant of the National Defense University’s Eisenhower School.

Also present at the meeting were AmCham Ghana Vice President, Pakwo Shum, Counselor for Commercial Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Ghana, Dean Matlack, AmCham Ghana Board Members, including Adiki Ayitevie, Doris Afanyedey, Sulemana Abubakar, Philip Ayivor, AmCham Ghana Membership, External Relations and Project Manager, Jane Okyere-Aduachie, Economic Section Chief at the U.S. Embassy in Ghana, Stephanie Hutchison, and Commercial Officer, Laurie Kelleher.

Cargill | Processing Ghana’s Cocoa with Integrity

The Manager for Membership, External Relations, and Projects at the Chamber, Jane Okyere-Aduachie, paid a courtesy call on Aedo van der Weij, Managing Director of Cargill Ghana.

Cargill has been sourcing cocoa from Ghana for over 40 years and in 2008 opened its state-of-the-art cocoa processing facility in Tema. Today the company has around 700 employees sourcing and processing cocoa products to service food and confectionary customers locally and around the world.

 

In 2016 Cargill added a Licensed Buying Company (LBC) to its Ghanaian footprint. The LBC operations bring innovative ways to trade with our farmers emphasizing our sustainability and traceability efforts, followed by an expansion of their cocoa processing plant capacity in 2019.

Cargill is mindful of the impact its operations have on host communities and stakeholders, so the company invested $3.2 million into sustainability programming with partners CARE and the International Cocoa Initiative. They have also built new schools and provided other school infrastructure.

The company has also financially supported the Kosmos Innovation Center program, which invests in young entrepreneurs and small businesses by providing seed funding, capacity building, and mentorship through innovation challenges to promote the development of promising local startup enterprises.

Cargill works alongside farmers, producers, manufacturers, retailers, governments, and other organizations to fulfill their purpose to nourish the world in a safe, responsible, and sustainable way.

 

AmCham Ghana Signs MoU With Emory University And The Global African Partners

The American Chamber of Commerce, Ghana, signs a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Emory University’s Emory Development Initiative (EDI), an Atlanta, Georgia-based private university established in 1836, and the Global African Partners (GAP) to facilitate trading under the African Continental Free Trade Area.

The parties will collaborate to offer virtual and in-person certificated corporate executive training programs granted under Emory University and the EDI on the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) and African trade, primarily targeting the U.S, African private sector, and non-profit professionals seeking understanding and implications of the AfCFTA, headquartered in Accra.

The parties will also collaborate on joint research and grant proposals on subjects related to U.S-Africa economic and cultural engagement and areas of common interest.

The parties of this MoU are AmCham Ghana AfCFTA Resource Center – An American Chamber of Commerce, Ghana initiative dedicated to breaching the information gap for U.S and International businesses on the implementation of the AfCFTA Agreement, EDI– an Emory University initiative that promotes economic growth and development across emerging and developing economies through courses, events, and external projects, GAP – an advisory and consulting firm bridging the cultural and economic gap between Africa and the Global market through trade and investment facilitation based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Emory University was represented by Dr. Sam Cherribi, Director of the EDI, Matilda Arhin represented the GAP, and Simon Madjie, Executive Director, represented the AmCham AfCFTA Resource Center.

 

About AmCham Ghana

The Chamber is the representative arm of U.S. businesses and subsidiaries voluntarily working to create an environment where business can thrive between Ghanaian and American communities. AmCham exists to promote commercial, economic, educational, and cultural ties between the United States of America and the Republic of Ghana. The chamber is an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which is the world’s largest business association with over one million members worldwide.

About Emory University

Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as “Emory College” by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of higher education in Georgia.

 

Digitizing Africa’s Economy: The Case for Blockchain and Digital Asset

On the 20th of April, 2022, TechGulf Ghana Limited held the second edition of its Digital Leadership Technology conference dubbed Digitizing Africa’s Economy: The Case for Blockchain and Digital Assets. This year’s conference aimed to establish the imperative for digitizing Africa’s economy and investing in blockchain technology and other digital assets. TechGulf keenly wants to present insights on how Blockchain and other digital assets can accelerate Africa’s economic growth.

The two-day conference, which started on the 20th of April, 2022, at 15:00 GMT, had a global participant turnout, very vibrant and diverse with representatives from countries such as the US, UK, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Haiti, and Kenya participating. Companies represented include Amazon Web Services (AWS), Accenture Federal Services, VXPASS, Netizen Capital, and Blocture among others.

Three-panel discussions were held over the course of two days. Each panel discussion focused on a unique area of digital assets. The first panel discussed the value of blockchain technology, the second-panel discussions focused on opportunities available to facilitate the development of Africa’s digital economy while the third panel deliberated on the infrastructure and investment required to actualize the potential of Blockchain in the sub-region. Seasoned Technology experts from across the globe served as panelists for the conference. The panels were moderated by Eric Kelly, Chairman, and CEO of Overland Tandberg, Dr. Evita Grant, CEO & Founder TecHustle Inc and Derrydean Dadzie Co-Founder DreamOval Limited.

The Keynote address was given by Dean Matlack, Commercial Counsellor, from the US Embassy in Ghana. In his address, he stated that Africa is uniquely positioned to support the large-scale adoption of digital assets. He also made mentioned that the Commercial Section at the US Embassy aims to support the growth of the enterprise blockchain in the application of agriculture product tracing, CO2 Carbon tracking, and Healthcare, just to name a few of such applications which sit in a broad category called “TradeTech”.

Dean Matlack also stated that blockchain could simplify business processes by tracking goods and supply chain, add value and promote Ghana’s exports such as artisan bars and roasted coffee. Another exciting area that the US Embassy is keenly monitoring is the potential for blockchain to be used for the settlement of international trade transactions. He concluded by stating, ‘We look forward to working with all of you to identify uses for blockchain digital assets and enterprise blockchain for your businesses, or agencies here in Ghana. We also look forward to helping you to connect to US companies that can provide world-class blockchain solutions.”

The event was wrapped up by Mr. Franklin Asare the CEO of TechGulf Ghana Limited. In his closing remarks, Mr. Asare emphasised that “we have keenly established the imperative for digitizing Africa’s economy and investing in blockchain technology and other digital assets and presented insights into how blockchain and other digital assets can accelerate Africa’s economic growth. We have also explored opportunities available in Africa’s digital economy ecosystem while exposing barriers and challenges that stifle the growth of the digital economy. We are determined to position Africa as a credible destination for investment in blockchain infrastructure and other digital assets.”

In his conclusion, he stated that the confidence in the future of Africa is unshaken. We believe that the time is ripe for Africa to make giant leaps into its manifest destiny.

AmCham Ghana and U.S. Embassy Ghana Launch SelectUSA Summit Recruitment

AmCham Ghana, in collaboration with the U.S. Embassy in Ghana, on Monday, April 25, 2022, hosted a business breakfast for entrepreneurs and business executives to share valuable insight on investing in the United States through the SelectUSA Program.

The event featured remarks from AmCham Ghana President, Ayesha Bedwei Ibe, who noted the importance of Ghanaian companies expanding into the American market and reiterated the Chamber’s commitment to promoting investment and prosperity between the United States and Ghana.

Officials from the U.S. Embassy in Ghana, including Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Stephanie Hutchison and Commercial Counselor Dean Matlack, also highlighted the available U.S. Government resources for investors, the United States’ strong culture of innovation, the country’s business environment, labor force, diversity of industries, and lucrative domestic consumer market.

Dean Matlack will lead the Ghanaian delegation to the SelectUSA Summit, which will be held on June 26-29, 2022, in Washington, DC.  He encouraged interested Ghanaian companies to sign up for this major networking event, if not this year, then next.

PwC, Kimanthi and Partners, and McDan Shipping and Logistics discussed market entry considerations, legal aspects of foreign direct investment, and the logistics of moving goods to support investments abroad.  United Airlines highlighted its services for travelers to the SelectUSA Summit.

This event was sponsored by  PwC Ghana, United Airlines, and MCDan Shipping Company Ltd.

For more information about attending the SelectUSA Investment Summit, the SelectUSA Program, and investing in the United States, please visit the U.S. Embassy website section for businesses and investors: https://gh.usembassy.gov/business/getting-started-usa/.

Credit: https://gh.usembassy.gov/

 

AmCham Ghana Hosts First Franchise Committee Meeting

The Chamber, on Tuesday, March 29, 2022, hosted the first AmCham Ghana Franchise Committee meeting at the secretariat.

Discussions were on helping franchisees secure funding and investment for their operations in the country. The committee members who are franchise holders also shared some of their challenges in doing business in Ghana and suggested measures that could help improve the business environment for franchisees.

The AmCham Ghana Franchise Committee is an AmCham Ghana initiative supported by the  U.S. Commercial Service in Ghana and chaired by Ashok Mohinani, Executive Director of Mohinani Group which also owns all the KFC franchises in Ghana. The committee’s membership includes executives from AVIS, FedEx, Interbrand Ghana, UPS, Orkin, Dominos Pizza, Burger King, and Original American Cola.

The franchise committee aims to help build a profitable franchise ecosystem in Ghana by promoting successful franchises and advocating for laws and policies that will improve the ease of doing business for franchisees.