Josiah
Nananom, distinguished guests, captains of industry, ladies and gentlemen, good evening.
I pay my respects to His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene, and to my Konahene, Nana Konadu Yiadom Kumanin IV. I thank Imperial Communications and congratulate tonight’s honourees, and the workers whose skill and dedication stand behind these awards.
The words “Made in Ghana” must become more than a statement of origin. They must become a promise of quality.
Many of you already uphold that promise. Our task is to make it a national expectation.
That is the challenge I see in our theme, “Building the Next Industrial Era of Ghana”. Not simply to produce more, but to build the capability to produce consistently, competitively, and to produce well.
In April, His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene, called on us to “Build Ghana Now,” to invest, take risks and build capacity. That call belongs as much in our speeches as it belongs in our factories, in financing decisions and in our supply and value chains.
The next industrial era is not a competition to acquire the newest machine. It is a commitment to master what we acquire. Import world-class equipment. Welcome investment and expertise. But build the Ghanaian skills to operate, to maintain, to adapt, and eventually to design those machines for our Ghana.
A machine can be purchased. Industrial capability must be developed.
Let us value technical skill accordingly. The young person who can keep a production line running deserves as much dignity as the person who can present the business plan.
Yet manufacturers cannot build this future through determination alone.
Our elders say, “Woforo dua pa a, na yɛpia wo.” When you climb a good tree, you are given a push.
For industry, that support must be practical. Dependable electricity, predictable rules, efficient logistics and finance suited to the time it takes a productive investment to mature.
We cannot demand long-term industrial ambition while making every business decision a short-term struggle for survival.
Our larger companies also have a responsibility. Publish your procurement requirements. Help promising Ghanaian suppliers improve their processes and help them to meet your standards. Give capable smaller firms a fair opportunity to earn dependable orders.
Supporting local industry must not be synonymous with lowering your standards. It must mean helping more Ghanaian businesses reach it.
Quality is proven by what customers receive every time an order arrives, not proven by the sample we take to an exhibition.
And we in traditional leadership have work to do. We have to encourage skills development, support constructive community dialogue, and promote responsible investment that respects the livelihoods of others, the land, and the water. An industrial future should give our young people a stake in their communities. The youth of our communities cannot be spectators to someone else’s prosperity.
So I offer a practical challenge. At your next management meeting, examine one item your business imports. Ask whether a Ghanaian supplier could produce it competitively, with the appropriate technical support and a dependable order. Where the answer is yes, turn that possibility into a commercial plan.
We don’t need to manufacture everything. We need to identify where we can compete, build the necessary capability, and earn our place in those markets.
To tonight’s honourees, may the recognition you receive strengthen the work you are already doing.
We have brought Ghanaian excellence onto this stage. Our next task is to put more of it into the world’s markets, reliably and competitively.
Made in Ghana. But trusted everywhere.
May God bless all your endeavours. May God bless Otumfuo Osei Tutu II. May God bless Asanteman. And may God bless our beloved country Ghana.
Medaase.
[Pictures of the event here: https://web.facebook.com/share/p/1dnrw9tWZ9/]
Speech delivered by:
Nana Kwadwo Marfo Ampong I
Aboafuohene of the Traditional Council of Kona
within the Dumankwa-Nifa Kyidom Division
under His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene.
