Chartered Institute of Marketing, Ghana (CIMG), has lauded President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, for assenting to Chartered Institute of Marketing, Ghana Act (Act 1021).

The President signed the bill into law on Thursday August 13, approximately two months after Parliament passed it after nearly two decades of delays.

Parliament, on June 4, passed the CIMG Bill, 2019, after the third reading, on the floor of Parliament.

Dr Daniel Kasser Tee, National President, CIMG, in release copied to the Ghana News Agency said: "We welcome this as the best news ever, for the marketing community in Ghana".

"We have been pursuing this act for about two decades, and to think that we got both the Parliamentary approval and Presidential assent, within eight weeks, is humbling and refreshing. I, on behalf of the Governing Council and entire membership of the Institute, thank the President of the Republic for making this a reality in his first term of office".

He assured the President that the Institute would immediately double up its efforts at rolling out the localisation of examinations agenda in order to bring relief to the many Ghanaian students who desire to pursue professional marketing courses but cannot afford the cost involved.

He said this would minimize the demand for hard currencies, especially the Pound Sterling, for the payment of examination fees and subscriptions to the United Kingdom, where most professional marketing students currently pursue their studies.

Giving details on this, Dr Kasser Tee indicated that CIMG had already started discussions with all Public Universities (both the Traditional and Technical universities) aimed at forging collaborations and partnerships.

"In these discussions, we intend to make these Universities Tuition Centres for the professional marketing examinations.

"The second phase of the discussions is to explore the possibility of fusing the professional marketing courses into the academic programmes of the Universities.

"This will enable students acquire dual qualifications (academic degrees and professional certificates) by the time they complete their Bachelors or Masters Degrees, as pertains elsewhere in international markets.

Mr Kwabena Akuamoah Agyekum, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, CIMG, said: "For effective delivery of the mandate given us under this act, the CIMG is holding discussions with various regulatory bodies, such as the National Accreditation Board (NAB) and the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), on areas of mutual interest for tighter collaborations to promote responsible and ethical marketing practices in ways that protect the Ghanaian consumer always".

The statement said the new law, Chartered Institute of Marketing, Ghana Act, 2020 (Act 1021), empowered the Institute to set standards for the practice of marketing and to regulate the practice of the marketing profession in the country.

The core values of the Institute are Creativity, Leadership, Integrity and Professionalism which it has been pursuing over the years with admirable success.