Guinness Ghana has launched its 60th anniversary in Accra to take stock of its contribution to the development of the beverage industry and creation of jobs in the country.

Established in 1960, the company has evolved and built its success on an outstanding portfolio of 33 brands with 29 key distributors nationally and a sales footprint in 37,000 outlets.

At a virtual event, management of the company has taken the opportunity to highlight Guinness Ghana’s key contributions to economic development for the past 60 years as well as its plans for the years ahead.

Building legacy

The Managing Director of Guinness Ghana, Mr Gavin Pike, in a press release issued on September 3 in Accra said, “It has been an exciting 60 years’ journey. Going forward, I believe it is time we move beyond operating a business, to building a legacy that will live on for generations to come.”

“One of the areas we have begun to do that is on diversity and inclusion. I am happy to report that 99 percent of our workforce are Ghanaian. In addition, 60 per cent of all management positions are occupied by women, a culture we are committed to keeping while ensuring a strong diversity playing field,” it noted.

In its commitment to government’s policy initiative to incorporate the use of local raw materials for the production of beverages, Guinness Ghana, has implemented its Local Raw Material (LRM) sourcing initiative which has grown steadily, from 12 per cent in 2012 to 55 per cent in 2019, a figure that is expected to rise to 70 per cent by the end of 2020.

Local raw material

The release also quoted the Corporate Affairs Director of Guinness Ghana, Ms Sylvia Owusu-Ankomah, of saying, “I can confirm with all authority that we are the largest users of local raw materials in the brewery and beverage manufacturing industry in Ghana.”

“Through our local raw materials initiative, we have impacted the lives of farmers and their families, improved their skills across the value chain and created sustainable income for them that positively affects the economic welfare of their families and communities,” it said.

She was quoted as saying Guinness Ghana for the past six decades, has operated as a socially responsible company and ensured that a significant portion of its resources is dedicated to the development of communities in the country.

Many lives have been impacted and improved by their many initiatives.

“If serving our communities for 60 years, is what it takes to be the market leaders and the only total beverage producing company in Ghana, then with no iota of doubt, we are ready to continuously serve for mutually beneficial relationships between Guinness Ghana and its partner communities,” it stated.