CIMG still can’t organise local exams; still relies on foreign exams after 37 yrs
The efforts of the Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana (CIMG) to localise its own examination through a legislation has remained a mirage after almost eight years of trying.
This is due to the bureaucracies and the inability of successive governments to act promptly on the institute’s applications.
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This was disclosed by the President of CIMG, Mr Kojo Mattah, at its annual general meeting in Accra.
The institute, which was established in 1981, still does not have the legal backing to organise its own examinations and has had to rely on examinations from foreign institutes all these years.
Mr Mattah said its Localisation Committee was, however, pursuing the bill which when passed would also empower the institute to come up with standards to regulate the marketing profession.
“Meanwhile, the efforts to grow our qualification are still ongoing with those seeking upgrade required to do project works on emerging themes,” he stated.
“We hope to gradually build this into our own qualification examinations for various membership levels,” he added.
2017 performance
The institute’s income increased from GH¢1.48 million in 2016 to GH¢1.74 million in 2017, with direct and administrative expenses also increasing from GH¢1.46 million to GH¢1.64 million over the same period.
Its net surplus also increased from GH¢23,559 to GH¢94,665, while its balance also increased from GH¢617,840 to GH¢712,505.
The institute’s total assets also grew from GH¢855,391 in 2016 to GH¢874,942 in 2017, with its total liabilities reducing from GH¢237,551 to GH¢139,736 over the same period.
At the end of the period under review, membership of the institute stood at 1,310 as against 1,260 in 2016.
Consultancy and advocacy
The income from the institute’s consultancy and advocacy work recorded a decrease from GH¢190,570 in 2016 to GH¢188,621 in 2017.
Mr Mattah said the governing council had been working to strengthen its consultancy and advocacy unit which could contribute a lot by way of revenue generation.
He, however, said the institute was still faced with challenges in the past which made it difficult for it to make any significant improvement in this area.
He, therefore, assured the members that the new consultancy committee and the secretariat had been working together seriously and hoped to see some positive changes going forward.
He said the council’s decision to support the unit for it to stand alone as an independent business unit was also still being pursued.
“Consequently, the secretariat has assigned a staff who is closely working with the consultancy team for an effective co-ordination and implementation of the unit’s programmes,” he pointed out.
Presidential Ball
He also noted that the CIMG’s Presidential Ball was successfully organised and recorded a profit of GH¢27,613 compared with the GH¢18,496 in 2016.
At the ceremony, he said 50 new members, which included seven upgrades and eight corporate, were inducted into membership of CIMG, while one member was conferred with CIMG Fellow status. This was against the 71 members who were inducted in 2016.
Building project
After many years of waiting, he said, the secretariat had finally relocated to the institute’s property at Baatsona.
He pointed out that its first and second floors remained uncompleted and, therefore, appealed to the members to continue with their efforts to bring the project to a completion.
“Presently, we need to equip the place with a standby generator and the construction of extra staircase,” he stated. — GB