About Allstar Insurance Brokers Limited

Allstar Insurance Brokers Limited recently joined AmCham Ghana as Gold Members. As a follow up, the Executive Secretary of the Chamber, Mr. Simon Madjie on Monday, October 22, 2018 visited the insurance brokers to interact with management.

Mr. Madjie had several conversations with the Managing Director of Allstar Insurance Brokers, Mr. Peter Osei-Duah. Their conversation among other issues, included the state of business and some advocacy strategies that AmCham Ghana can employ to better improve the business climate.

Allstar Brokers is a wholly Ghanaian owned limited liability broking firm with a unique strategy of providing bespoke services to individuals, corporate, affinity groups and SMEs. With experienced underwriters, and industry seasoned insurance professionals; Allstar Brokers has access to all insurers in Ghana, and several international partners, allowing risk to be reviewed and built from the ground up.

Mr. Peter Osei-Duah tells us about Allstar Insurance Brokers and shared some of their core functions in the video below.

 

Johnson and Johnson Holds Mental Health Stakeholders Meeting

Johnson and Johnson Medical Ghana held a stakeholders meeting in Accra on October 25, 2018 to discuss mental health issues. The event which was dubbed Mental Health Stakeholders Meeting was under the theme ‘Carving the Ideal Mental Health Journey Through Strategic Partnerships.’

The event brought together stakeholder from across the health sector, politicians, policy makers and a section of the general public.

The Speaker of Parliament, Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye, who was the Chairman of the event assured stakeholders in mental health care that parliament will work towards the passage of the Legislative Instrument (LI) on Ghana’s Mental Health Act.

He said it was unfortunate that the five year old LI had not been passed, particularly so when its passage would help the Mental Health Authority operate efficiently.

According to statistics 41 per cent of Ghanaians had one form of psychological distress or another and 40 per cent of all cases at any general hospital have some relationship with mental health problem.

Chief Executive Officer of the Mental Health Authority, Dr. Akwasi Osei who was also a speaker at the event said, “Mental illness reduces lifespan by as much as 12 to 20 years and the high suicide rate of 1,500 deaths per year can be attributed to one mental disorder or another.”

The plight of mental health patients and health worker has been worsened with several challenges including lack of adequate funding.  Special guest of honor at the event, Second Lady of the Republic of Ghana, Her Excellency, Samira Bawumia attested to the fact of inadequate funding. “We cannot afford to lose workers because they can’t afford mental health care,” She said.

“We cannot be unconcerned and we need to act now. As a nation, it is imperative that we make mental health care a priority,” she stressed, and called for awareness creation on mental health and care.

The Country Manager of Johnson and Johnson, Ms Priscilla Owusu-Sekyere, said Janssen Pharmaceutica, a subsidiary of Johnson and Johnson, was fostering mental health partnerships to ensure that no patient was left behind. She added that, her company is using innovative pricing to make mental health drugs cheaply available to patients.

She said Janssen was leading efforts at transforming mental health care by raising awareness, reducing the stigma associated with mental illness, building the capacity of healthcare professionals and improving access to health care.

On building the capacity of healthcare professionals, Ms Owusu-Sekyere said Janssen had so far sponsored 18 students to undergo a year’s training in mental healthcare delivery and improving access to health care.

Several suggestions were made at the meeting as to how mental health care delivery can be made more accessible, effective and efficient. Some of the suggestions were the inclusion of mental health care delivery into the NHIS, the establishment of a mental health board, the incorporation of mental health care into the general health care system and the preparation of a national prevalence data to guide policy and interventions.

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AmCham Ghana Joins USAID for Trade Africa Learning Event

Wednesday, October 24, 2018. The American Chamber of Commerce, Ghana led by the Executive Secretary, Mr. Simon Madjie joined U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for their Trade Africa Learning Event held in Accra, Ghana.

The event was under the theme, ‘Enhancing Ghana’s Trade Competitiveness: Lessons from the Trade Africa Partnership.’ The Trade Africa Learning event brought together Government of Ghana officials and other partners to share some achievements attained over the years and the opportunities available for Ghana to boost exports of Ghanaian products, and diversify its export base to high-value markets.

Since 2016, the “Trade Africa” initiative has provided $10 million to support the World Trade Organization Trade Facilitation Agreement, improve phytosanitary standards, help Ghana overcome technical barriers to trade, and support policies that promote regional trade and investment.

AmCham Ghana has been a beneficiary of the USAID led initiative. The Chamber was assisted to improve on its communication and to effectively strengthen our advocacy capacity through regular engagement with top Government officials, policy makers and other stakeholders.

The Chamber’s Executive Secretary in his remarks acknowledged the assistance provided by USAID in organizing events during the period of engagement.  He stated that notable among them was the engagement with Her Ladyship, Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo. An event which brought together the custodians of the country’s laws and the business community under one roof to dialogue and find mutual grounds where law will aid business and vise versa.

The Trade Africa initiative has achieved several successes during its two year period. These include the support provided to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture vegetable export task force to improve quality standards in order to restore access by Ghanaian vegetable exporters to the European Union. This reduced the number of shipments intercepted by EU authorities drastically.

The figures dropped from 330 interceptions in 2014 to four (4) in 2017.

The event was attended by the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Carlos Ahenkorah, Commissioner for the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, Mr. Isaac Crentsil, the USAID/Ghana Acting Mission Director, Steven E. Hendrix and other key personalities.

USAID/Ghana Acting Mission Director, Steven E. Hendrix in his remarks said, “The U.S. government is proud to support the government through increased exports of Ghanaian goods and businesses to the world markets.”

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New Member | Allstar Insurance Brokers Limited Joins AmCham Ghana

The American Chamber of Commerce, Ghana is privileged to announce Allstar Insurance Brokers Limited as our new Member. Allstar Brokers, a wholly Ghanaian owned limited liability broking firm and one of the leading insurance brokers in Ghana joined AmCham Ghana as a Gold Member.

Allstar Insurance Brokers has a unique strategy of providing bespoke services to individuals, corporates, affinity groups and SMEs. With experienced underwriters, and industry seasoned insurance professionals; Allstar Brokers has access to all insurers in Ghana, and several international partners, allowing risk to be reviewed and built from the ground up.

Their aim is to look out for the interest of their clients, and to ensure that policyholders get the cover they need. That’s what they do, ensuring that you get the cover you need.

Allstar Brokers are able to tailor benefits to protect your company and your employees including burglary insurance, cash-in-transit, goods-in-transit, public liability, bankers indemnity, advance mobilisation, customs bond, assets all risks, combined fire package, fleet motor vehicle, group life, group medical, international group medical, group personal accident, and critical illness insurance, key man insurance, shareholders protection insurance, medical expenses, evacuation & repatriation, welfare insurance schemes, and many variations thereof.

They have a wealth of experience and insight into the wants and needs of individuals like you, corporate entities and organisations. Allstar Insurance Brokers strive to provide simple, effective services which bridge the policyholder insurance company maze. And they back this with reliable delivery in all aspects of the service, whether that be needs assessment, fulfilment and enrolment, claims or assistance.

Allstar Brokers offer General Insurance which includes Accident Insurance, Motor Vehicle Insurance, Fire & Allied Perils and Marine & Aviation Insurance. Their also offer Life Insurance, Medical & Travel Insurance and Product Development Learn More…

They are in partnership with 47 Local Insurance Companies and are ready to broker the Insurance Needs for Individuals, Corporates & SME’s.

AmCham Ghana is pleased to welcome Allstar Insurance Brokers into our fold of progressive businesses.

Location: 2nd Floor, Stanley Marbell Plaza
Asylum Down, Accra – Ghana

P. O. Box CT 6104
Cantonments – Accra

Landline: +233 302 243 699
Peter Osei Duah: +233 244 362 432
Francis Asamoah-Owusu: +233 209 283 395
Elvis Kumordzie: +233 200 005 550
Email: info@allstarbrokersgh.com

AmCham Ghana Appeals for Grace Period for Members on Tax Stamp Policy

The American Chamber of Commerce, Ghana lauds the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) for the launch and implementation of the Tax Stamp Policy which is aimed at addressing the counterfeiting of products on the Ghanaian market and to improve revenue generation of the Government. As a member-driven organization, the Chamber and its members acknowledge and support Government’s goal of raising revenue and stopping the constant counterfeit products being dumped onto our markets.

However, members of the Chamber who are in the beverage manufacturing sector have encountered challenges in implementing the Tax Stamp Policy and would like to appeal to the Government for more time. The main challenge is that these beverage producers need to acquire and install specialized machinery to fix these stamps on their products. The companies would have to import the tax stamp fixing machines and would need some grace period to allow the machines to be shipped, cleared and installed in their current factory lines.

As of the writing of this paper, beverage producers who are members of the Chamber are unable to sell their products due to their inability to fix the Tax Stamps and this is likely to affect their business and jobs of almost a 1000 people.

The Chamber acknowledges that some of its Members have had series of engagements with the Ministry of Finance and GRA to discuss these challenges and would be very grateful that this request for a grace period is considered by the tax authority.

The American Chamber of Commerce is a strong advocate for the President’s Ghana Beyond Aid Agenda and is committed to support the Government to improve the efficiency of revenue administration and collect taxes to help Ghana achieve its development objectives.

U.S. – Ghana Executive Business Roundtable Meeting With The President of Ghana

The U.S. – Africa Business Center in collaboration with the American Chamber of Commerce, Ghana and Ghana Investment Promotion Center on September 24, 2018 held a private ‘Executive Business Roundtable’ meeting with H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. The event took place at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York, USA.

Discussions were held on the state of Ghana’s investment environment and means to further improve it to make it attractive to investors. This is in line with the President’s vision of industrializing the country.

Also, further discussions were held on the priority areas for FDI agreed between the U.S. Government and the Government of Ghana during U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur Ross’s visit to Ghana in July, 2018.

H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo also spoke about the advantages of investing in Ghana. This was followed by a Q&A session and the signing of an MoU between the U.S. – Africa Business Center and the Ghana Investment Promotion Center.

The MoU is to promote and drive Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into Ghana, promote AGOA and market Ghana as a place to do business in Africa.

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Dow Chemical Company | AmCham Member Of The Month

Dow Chemical is AmCham Ghana’s Member of the month for September. Dow Chemical’s growing presence in Africa demonstrates the company’s commitment to deliver industry leadership, technical innovation and expertise – with a focus on sustainability to help transform the region into a key player in the global chemicals industry.

Dow is among the three biggest chemical companies worldwide, with products ranging from plastics and packaging, agriculture, building and construction to oil and gas. The company which had operated in Ghana in the past, pulled out in the 1990s and had relied on intermediaries to reach Ghana’s market.

 

They combine science, understanding, and creativity to re-imagine what is vital to human progress. With thousands of patents and awards, Dow is a global innovation and sustainability leader. Dow is a diverse, inclusive community and together, they can solve anything.

According to Managing Director of Dow West Africa, Tony Groosman, the company is committed to making a contribution to the economic development of Ghana and Africa as a whole. Africa’s economic significance in the global marketplace has been demonstrated by increased political stability, improved economic policy and a growing consumer base all of which offer an advantageous environment for business to thrive.

The Company connects chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help address many of the world’s most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, renewable energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity.

Dow’s diversified industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 160 countries and in high growth sectors such as electronics, water, energy, coatings and agriculture.

Johnson and Johnson Ghana to Embark on Mental Health Awareness Campaign

AmCham Ghana Executive Secretary, Simon Madjie paid a courtesy call on  Johnson & Johnson  Medical at their Ghana office. The visit was to interact with Management on the state of business since the company opened its Ghana office in Match 2017.

Mr. Madjie had several discussions with the Management of Johnson and Johnson, notable is the company’s initiative to create mental health awareness among the corporate world and the general public.  Johnson and Johnson Country Manager, Priscilla Owusu-Sekyere said mental illness appears to be common in the country but receives little to no attention.

According to the Ghana Health Service, about 41 percent of Ghanaians have some psychological disorder. For this reason, Ms. Owusu-Sekyere said mental health demanded more attention than it is getting.

Johnson and Johnson has already been doing some work in the area of mental health, in partnership with Basic Needs, they have donated medicine for mental health disorders and therapeutic techniques through gardening projects; the current gardening project benefits over 150 patients and over 100 care givers.

According Ms. Owusu-Sekyere, the current campaign will focus on schizophrenia, depression and other mental health illnesses.

Johnson & Johnson in Match 2017 announced the expansion of its operations in Africa with the launch of a new office in Accra, Ghana. The company’s new presence has brought together multiple teams representing Johnson & Johnson consumer, medical device, pharmaceutical and global public health (GPH) organizations to deliver an integrated approach to improving health outcomes in the region.

U.S. – Africa Business Center Honors Prez. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo For His Leadership And Commitment to Championing Trade And Investment

September 24, 2018. The U.S. – Africa Business Center honored President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo with the 2018 Outstanding Leader’s Award at the U.S. – Ghana Executive Roundtable event held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York, USA.

The President receives this year’s award due to his leadership and commitment to championing trade and investment into Ghana.

Receiving the award, President Akufo-Addo noted that, “it is good to know that advocating for Ghana to opt for a partnership with the rest of the world on the basis of trade and investment co-operation, not aid, has its rewards.”

The President also stated in his acceptance remarks that, the receipt of the award represents a summary of his focus as Ghana’s President, since assuming the reins of office some Twenty-One months ago.

“I have sought not only to strengthen my country’s democratic credentials, but also to help create wealth and provide opportunities for its people,” he added.

Ghana, like most countries in Africa, the President said, is blessed with an abundance of human and natural resources, but has over the years been heavily reliant on the production and export of these natural resources in their raw form.

President Akufo-Addo told the gathering that his government has decided to change this trend, as it is the only way his government can bring wealth to the Ghanaian people, and halt the dynamic of young men and women leaving the country in search of non-existent greener pastures abroad.

The Event also witnessed an MoU signing between the U.S. Chamber and Ghana Investment Promotion Center to drive trade and investment into Ghana.

Stockfox Joins AmCham Ghana

Stockfox, a personalised shipping service provider has joined AmCham Ghana. The company provides personalized shipping solutions, by air and sea, tailored to your specific needs. Their service is excellent for individuals and small to large businesses, as they ship a wide range of package types. You can choose to have your package delivered to your door or pick up from their local office.

Stockfox has a dedicated personnel, ready to assist, support and provide you with the assistance you need to get your packages safely delivered to you. They currently have operations to Ghana out of the United States of America, United Kingdom, China and Dubai.

Their services include Sea Freight, Package Consolidation, Customs Clearing and Delivery, Concierge Services & Personal Shopping, Group Shipping and Stockfox Auto Parts. Click to learn more about them.

Contact:

location
Ghana Airport Cargo Centre,
Suite 311
Airport City
Accra