Melcom launches made-in-Ghana campaign

Over 70 indigenous Ghanaian businesses and companies are participating in this year’s Melcom Made-in-Ghana Festival.

It is expected that about 600 brands would be exhibited at the Melcom Plus shop in Accra for a period of six weeks.

The idea is to focus on manufacturing, the sale and promotion of locally-manufactured products by Ghanaian businesses and companies to help boost the economy.

It is also expected that the festival, which is the second of its kind, would rekindle the interest of Ghanaians to patronise home-grown products. 

Participating companies

Companies participating in the fair include Nkulenu Industries (Nkulenu Palm kernel products), Parry and Company (Starkist canned fish), Cocoa Processing Company (Golden Tree Chocolate), Nestle Ghana Limited (Nestle Evaporated Milk, baby food, beverages) and Accra Brewery (Club Beer, Stone, Castle Milk Stout).

Others are Gihoc Distilleries (Takai, Brandy, Castle Bridge and Madingo), Kasapreko Company Limited (Kasapreko), Coca Cola Bottling Company Limited (Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Schwepps carbonated drinks), Voltic (Voltic, club minerals), Guinness Ghana Brewery (Star Beer, Malta Guinness), Evapack Company (Toiletries), J. A. Biney Company (Bine Liquid Soap, disinfectants, parazone) and Chocho Industries (Chocho soap, shower gel).

The rest are Unilever Ghana Limited (Key soap bar, Sunlight, Lux, Rexona, Geisha), Fan Milk Company (Fan milk, yoghurt, tampico), KGM Industries (KGM plastics), Domod Industries (Domod aluminium products), Atta Duffie (Atta Dufie artifacts, ladies purse, bracelets), Ashanti Foam (Ashfoam mattress), Qualiplast Company (Qualiplast plastics-waste bin, storage bin), Printex (Kallyppo, Frutelli), Cardbury (Richoco beverages), Ghana Aluminium (Tower Aluminium cooking  participate utensils) and Allied Cocoa (Broma Cocoa).

A big platform

The Director of Communications of the Melcom Group of Companies, Mr Godwin Avenorgbo, who disclosed this to the Daily Graphic said the fair would offer opportunities to local companies to showcase their products.

He saidMelcom has over the years been known for the sale and distribution of various kinds of products, adding that it has gained trust from customers as a result. 

Due to its market size, he said the company felt the need to adopt and help with the sale of locally-manufactured products.

Mr Avenorgbo said even though Melcom had been selling locally manufactured commodities in its shops nationwide over the years, the Made-in-Ghana Fair was unique, explaining that customers would have special discount on each product they bought.

A boost for the Ghanaian economy

Mr Avenorgbo stated that unless the country manufactured, sold and exported its products, the economy would always be struggling or be facing challenges.

To show that the Ghanaian was ready to help address the current state of the economy, he emphasised that “The only way to boost the Ghanaian economy is for every citizen to develop the taste for made-in-Ghana products”. 

Organisation of the fair

Explaining how Melcom was prepared for the fair, the director of communications said special areas in the Melcom Plus shop in Accra had been designated for the exhibition, promotion and sale of locally-manufactured products.

He added that the fair would bring together Ghanaian musicians to entertain and campaign for the patronage of made-in-Ghana commodities.

When asked the measure the company had put in place to ensure that the products to be exhibited were of high quality, Mr Avenorgbo said it had put in place proper mechanisms to ensure that only quality products were sold to consumers.

He dismissed claims that home-grown products were usually of low quality, and assured customers that high quality products would be exhibited.

He also advised start-up companies in the country to do their best to build strong brands, saying the company had the vision of going beyond the current number of exhibitors to involve almost every Ghanaian company.

News team’s visit

During the visit by the Daily Graphic team to the Melcom Plus Shop in Accra last Friday, it observed that some Ghanaian products had already been exhibited for sale to consumers. 

The products include fruits, vegetables, soft drinks and fabrics. 

Customers were also actively involved in the purchase of some of the goods on display, while others were window shopping.