By Benjamin Makafui Attipoe, Accra
The Ghana-India Chamber of Commerce (GICC) has urged Ghanaian businessmen and women, particularly importers and exporters, to take advantage of its growing collaboration with Indian business organisations to expand their businesses and explore new markets. The President of the GICC, Dr. Kwabena Ekremet, said the Chamber had come to stay and was committed to creating practical opportunities for Ghanaian businesses to connect with Indian companies and access new commercial prospects.
Dr. Kwabena Ekremet made the call at a two-day Ghana-India Business-to-Business (B2B) Meet organised in Accra by the GICC in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) with support from the High Commission of Indian in Ghana.
The event brought together more than 200 businessmen and women from various parts of the country to explore opportunities for trade, investment, partnerships and long-term commercial cooperation in India through the Indian delegation which showcased the potentials of India in their many fields of endeavour, investment and co-operation.
Dr. Ekremet encouraged Ghanaian businesses not only to join the Chamber but also to make effective use of their membership to unlock opportunities available through its network and activities. He said the B2B engagement marked an important step towards reviving and strengthening business links between Ghana and India.
The Joint Director of FIEO, Mr. Manish Sharma, described the engagement as positive and assured Ghanaian businesses of India’s readiness to deepen the commercial cooperation. He encouraged prospective Ghanaian business people to explore opportunities in India, assuring them that such engagements could open new avenues for mutually beneficial business relationships.
The Board Chairman of the GICC, Mr. David Brian Obro, also described the conference as fruitful and assured participants that future engagements would be bigger and more impactful. He said the Chamber remained committed to promoting trade and business relations between Ghana and India and to creating platforms that would connect businesses from both countries.
The Indian High Commissioner to Ghana, Mr. Surinder Bhagat, said the B2B meeting was particularly important because it brought the two business communities together to understand each other’s needs and identify areas for partnership. He said more than 15 Indian companies had participated in the engagement and expressed confidence that their interactions with Ghanaian businesses would lead to new partnerships.
Mr. Bhagat said Ghana’s strategic location, coupled with the presence of the headquarters of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), positioned the country as an important gateway to the West African market. He therefore urged businesses from both countries to explore the opportunities available and work together to expand their commercial presence.
Some Ghanaian participants at the event also welcomed the initiative, describing it as timely and important for businesses seeking reliable international partners and quality products. Mr. Emmanuel Ledi, a businessman and importer of building materials based in Ho and Dzodze in the Volta Region, commended the initiative and stressed the need for stronger business links between Ghanaian and Indian companies. The Chief Executive Officer of Kaliber Partners, Ghana and the United States, Ms. Agnes Aacht Hayfron-Benjamin, also called for deeper collaboration between the GICC and FIEO. She urged the organisers to adopt more strategic approaches in future engagements to enable businesses from other parts of Ghana to benefit from the opportunities created through the partnership.
The GICC was established in 2013 with the objective of promoting trade and business relations between Ghana and India. However, the Chamber encountered several challenges which affected the full realisation of its objectives over the years. The latest B2B engagement, organisers said, is part of efforts to revive the Chamber’s activities and strengthen trade links between the two countries with the support of the respective governments and business communities.
The organisers expressed the hope that the maiden B2B engagement in recent years would provide the foundation for the full revival and expansion of the Chamber’s activities in Ghana, India and beyond.
