A Board Member of GHACEM, Ghana’s leading cement manufacturer, Dr. Ishmael Yamson, has called on government to give “deliberate support” to Ghanaian entrepreneurs to enable them grow their businesses.
Dr. Yamson said “doing business in this country is not easy, and we have to make it easy for businesses to flourish. There is no way we are going to create businesses, create wealth, we are going to create jobs, create widespread prosperity if doing business in this country is not made easy.”
According to him, it is difficult for Ghanaian entrepreneurs to grow big without multinational support, hence the need for government to give them deliberate support to grow, especially the manufacturing sector.
He made the call during a ceremony in Tema to honour the founding father of Ghacem, Dr. Justice A. Addison, as the company celebrates its 50 years.
Ghacem unveiled a statue of Dr. Addison to celebrate the man credited with establishing the leading cement manufacturer in the country.
The Ghacem Board Member also eulogised the late Dr. Addison describing him as a passionate entrepreneur who always gave reasons as to why government should support Ghanaian entrepreneurs.
Dr. Yamson, who was also the special host for the ceremony, urged Ghanaian entrepreneurs to trust their business partners to enable them build big companies like Ghacem stressing that “if Dr. Addison did not trust his partners, Ghacem will not be here.”
Managing Director of Ghacem, Morten Gade, on his part said “history will continue to extol the virtues of Dr. Addison whose achievements are numerous. 30th of August 2017, was chosen to honour this great son of Ghana, Dr. J. A. Addison, because it is the day Ghacem was born 50 years ago.”
Mr. Gade said Ghacem has chosen to honour Dr. Addison with a statue to serve a lasting memory in the history of the company.
The Managing Director further called on government to strengthen the efforts to improve conditions of local manufacturers for more benefit to the economy, adding that “we need to ensure these new factories are not only established, but the conditions are favourable so they can survive in the long run.”
Speaking in an interview with the media after the ceremony, Francisca Aba Addison, wife of the late Dr. Addison, appreciated Ghacem for honouring her late husband with such a monument.
Mrs. Addison stated that, the family currently has shares in Ghacem following the good works of her late husband.
The ceremony was witnessed by Children of late Dr. Addison, Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Ernest Addison, Lawyer Philip Addison, other members of the family, as well as the Tema Mantse, Nii Adjei Kraku II.
The late Dr. Addison is credited with establishing Ghacem after bringing in investors to establish the company, as well as establishing a paper packaging factory to bag the cement and obtaining a licence for lime stone quarry to provide raw materials for Ghacem.
Ghacem has been in existence since 1967, and has had a major impact with the two cement grinding plants in Tema and Takoradi.
–
By: Farida Shaibu/citifmonline.com/Ghana