The Reputation Clinics would provide communication consul­tancy advice to SMEs and organi­sations who were looking to grow by taking their business in a new direction, explore new challenges or requiring fresh perspectives to help them succeed.

Stratcomm Africa is a commu­nications and reputation manage­ment agency. The initiative was launched on the theme “Skill up in communication to scale up your business.”

Ms Esther Cobbah, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Strat­comm Africa, said the clinics would offer one- on-one consulta­tion to SMEs while offering them the strategies, skills and support to grow and develop their business.

Ms Cobbah noted that the SMEs would be taken through needs assessment, business plan­ning, strategy development, digital communication, communication research and media relations to capacitate them to grow their businesses which would subse­quently affect the development of the country.

She indicated that the initiative was aligned with the Global En­trepreneurship Week (November 14 – 20, 2022), which was aimed at celebrating entrepreneurs and empowering them to scale up their businesses.

“Stratcomm Africa has the expertise to impact positively on the operations of SMEs through the use of digital communication for reputation management and enterprise growth while contrib­uting positively to total national development and enhancement.

As an organisation with 28 years of experience in running a successful business and delivering communication excellence, Strat­comm Africa is well-positioned to use its expertise to support SMEs in Ghana to scale up,” she added.

Ms Cobbah said the current growth in digitalisation created the opportunity for entrepreneurs to reach to a wide audience with their products and services, such as, acquiring and applying the right knowledge and skills that would enable the growth of their businesses as well as the effec­tive management of their brand reputation.

She hinted that the award scheme which would take off in the coming year would give SMEs an opportunity to showcase how communications impacts their businesses, adding that “the SMEs with the most impactful communi­cations approach will be award­ed and some will be given the opportunity to receive professional communications services from Stratcomm Africa.”

Mr Kofi Baah Boakye, Business Development Director, Stratcomm Africa said SMEs accounted for about 70 per cent of Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 92 per cent of the businesses in the country Ghana.

“This clearly shows that SMEs are increasingly recognised as the productive drivers and backbone for economic growth and devel­opment of industry in Ghana, “he added.

However, Mr Boakye said the assertion was being challenged as many SMEs were struggling to survive post COVID-19 and the current economic crisis faced by the country.

He said it was for that reason the agency had resolved to change the narrative by establishing the initiative.

Ms Awura Abena Agyeman, CEO, WEAR Ghana said com­munication was key for business growth for which reason the initia­tive was laudable.

She commended Stratcomm for the initiative adding that the agen­cy had over the years mastered the arts of communication and was good at what it does.