Kobi Hemaa returns with Ghana’s Pride
Advocacy for people to patronise made-in-Ghana products has been stepped up in the past few years and a number of programmes have been initiated on both radio and TV to push the concept.
However, there is one programme that saw the light of day years ago and took the lead in throwing the spotlight on Ghana-made goods, and that is Ghana’s Pride.
Ghana’s Pride is the brainchild of Kobi Hemaa Osisiadan-Bekoe and started airing in 2007 on TV Africa before moving to GTV. For 28 seasons, the programme showcased Ghanaian companies, made-in-Ghana products, Ghanaian culture, tourist attractions among others.
Unfortunately, it went on a hiatus in 2014 but is now making a big return, and Kobi Hemaa said she is excited at picking up from where she left off.
According to Kobi Hemaa, she was bringing back an enriched Ghana’s Pride which would not lose sight of its key objectives.
“The show went off air because I got married and I had kids. I had two kids within two years and I had to take some time off to take care of them, but I believe it’s time to return.
“I am bringing back Ghana’s Pride because now a lot of Ghanaian companies are producing locally. In previous years, it was difficult for companies to get Ghanaians to patronise their products because of the perception that they were of low quality.
“But now the standard has improved; branding and packaging are all great and Ghanaians are buying them. While they are doing well with branding and others, I’ve realised that a lot of companies are still struggling with promotion.
“They are doing great but they seem to have taken out promotion, and that is why we are back now to give them the push they need to grow,” she said.
One of the changes made to Ghana’s Pride is that it is going totally digital and will air on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
“Gradually, traditional media is fading out and we have to be abreast of the times. Apart from that, our target audiences are people on social media, and that is why we will not be using traditional media this time around,” Kobi Hemaa explained.
Another change is that Kobi Hemaa and her team will be providing PR support for the companies and personalities they will profile.
“When I started the programme in 2007, I was a marketer hoping to do branding for personalities and companies. But my experiences have expanded over the past 12 years and now I’m a PR practitioner too.
“When we visit the companies, apart from showcasing their products, we will try and give them PR support and digital marketing services. We all have our own way of supporting society and I have seen that my ability to influence people to purchase other people’s products is mine, so that is what I will do for them,” she said.
Ghana’s Pride will start airing this month and will include factory visits, tracing the manufacturing processes, quality control and other elements that go into production.
Kobi Hemaa Osisiadan-Bekoe is a media personality, entrepreneur and a strong made-in-Ghana product campaigner.
She is passionate about positively portraying Africa and has exhibited this in many ways, including in how she dresses, consistently wearing African prints, beads and other locally made products.
