Africa’s businesses must lead integration process – Ashigbey
The Managing Director of Graphic Communications Group Limited, Mr Kenneth Ashigbey, has called on businesses across the Africa to champion the continent’s integration.
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According to him, by intensifying business relations and breaking the barriers that hinder smooth progress, Africa will be on its way to achieve full integration on the back of finance and economics and not politics.
Mr Ashigbey made the call when the Managing Director of Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank), Mr Olelakan Sanusi, paid a courtesy call on him at his office of the eve of Good Friday.
“We do not need to rely on the politicians alone to do it for us because its taking too long for them to achieve that,” he said, adding, “we as businesses need to move now and take the mantle and drive it to our benefit and the benefit of the countries from where we operate.”
Speaking with passion, he said the time had come for businesses on the continent to call the shots “and we have every reason to do that because when we become successful it will inure to our benefit and not that of politicians.”
B2B collaboration
Mr Ashigbey used the occasion to express the wiliness of Graphic to work with the bank in areas that would bring laurels to both companies and the country at large.
“Coming from Nigeria, although you are now purely Ghanaian, we can learn a lot from you as to how to penetrate the Nigerian market with our products,” he said.
He used the occasion to introduce the brands of the company to Mr Sanusi and noted that the papers would be willing to partner the bank to promote its products and services that would help develop the economy.
Mr Ashigbey said the company was venturing into areas where the business would be more sustainable and noted that the GCGL was open for negotiations.
He also mentioned the GRAPHIC BUSINESS, the financial newspaper in the Graphic stable, which was recently re-launched to reflect its new identity, and indicated the value the bank stood to gain from it.
Sharing ideas
Mr Sanusi said African companies must be able to share ideas among themselves and be able to learn from each other.
Mr Sanusi said the overreliance on foreign investors was not the solution to the challenges confronting the continent and urged greater collaboration.
He used the example of Dangote and noted that with such financial icons on the continent, there was need to tap into their knowledge and shared what they had with the rest to be able to achieve the needed goals.