They said, that was the only way to improve the taste for Made- in -Ghana products and cut down drastically, if not end, the rate of importation in the country.

The event which brought togeth­er top Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), Ministers of State, mem­bers of the diplomatic corps and development partners was on the theme “Building Strong Ghanaian Brands for Global Competitiveness.”

It was organised by the Entrepre­neurs Foundation of Ghana in part­nership with the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Ghana Invest­ment Promotion Centre (GIPC), Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), Food and Drug Authority (FDA), Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), Ghana Free Zones Authority and the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Deputy Minister of Trade and In­dustry, Nana Ama Dokua Asiamah Adjei, in a keynote address read on her behalf by the Acting Direc­ tor, GSA, Clifford E. Frimpong said building factories were no longer sufficient in catching up with growing global economies for which reason businesses were to be competitive to get into the international space.

“Ghanaian businesses must meet international standards of quality, safety, packaging and sus­tainability,” she added.

The Deputy Minister said it was for that reason the govern­ment had rolled out initiatives including the one district one factory initiative to attract investments.

A former Director General and a Rector of the Ghana

Administration (GIMPA), Prof. Ste­phen Adei, urged businesses to be alert to the needs of their clients.

He also emphasised that it must be ensured that industries were non­partisan to prevent the clamp down of some industries when certain parties were not in government.

Prof. Adei further underscored the pressing need for certain areas of the economy including agri­culture to be strategically invested into to bring out the best in those sectors.

Mr Clement Osei Amoako, President, Ghana National Cham­ber of Commerce and Industry noted that timely initiatives were needed to meet up with the chal­lenges the world was faced with.

He called for a government-led approach in building new brands and resuscitating existing ones in order to make the country the most preferred brand.

Mrs Delesse A. A. Darko, CEO, FDA said challenges faced globally called for boost in local industriali­sation and the need for patronising local products, adding that “build­ing quality brands encouraged people to do business with you as people repose trust in you.”

CEO, GEPA, Dr Afua Asabea Asare said the time had come for Ghanaians to look within and appreciate what was theirs.

She said, that was because without appreciating one’s own self, others or foreigners could not appreciate or place value on one.

Prof. Kenneth Agyeman Atta­fuah, Executive Secretary, National Identification Authority for his part urged businesses to pursue excellence and lead the way to leveraging the unlimited benefits of the “Ghana card.”