AGI Gt. Accra Chairman sends New Year message to members

Chairman of Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) in Accra Tsonam Cleanse Akpeloo has congratulated members of the association for weathering the storm of Covid-19 in 2021.

In a New Year message, Mr. Akpeloo acknowledged that despite the difficulties brought on by the global pandemic, there were no significant job cuts as a result of the pandemic.

Looking over the past year, Mr. Akpeloo thanked members for their cooperation which ensured success on many fronts.

He recalled the successful organization of the Advantage Knowledge Forum, which provided a platform for members to be educated on how to harness the opportunities of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), reposition businesses for post-Covid recovery and resilience as well as leverage insurance to mitigate business risks and boost growth.

He also celebrated the success of the Association’s advocacy to get government to reverse the reduction in benchmark values.

He expressed confidence that members will continue to be diligent to ensure that the benefits of the reversal of the policy will positively affect the economic trajectory of the country.

The Accra AGI chairman further thanked members for renewing his mandate to continue to lead the association in Accra.

He is confident that the cooperation that has prevailed over the years will continue as they work together to promote prosperity and industrial growth in Ghana.

Facing the new year, Mr. Akpeloo believes that, “We must continue to focus on post-Covid recovery by observing the prevention protocols.”

More importantly, he encourages members to remain committed to ensuring their business models are agile and responsive to environmental occurrences.

He also entreats members to keep AfCFTA in view as it is going to be a game changer in the emerging era.

“Let’s endeavor to build competitive businesses; businesses which will transcend our national borders and be able to transact favorably in other African markets under the auspices of AfCFTA,” he urges.

On the policy side, Mr. Akpeloo wants government and stakeholders in the energy sector to consider a review of the cost of power to industry.

He revealed that, “Expenditure on power constitutes about 30% of costs and this is a major burden that needs to be addressed.”

He indicated the commitment of AGI to engage with stakeholders to arrive at a sustainable solution that will promote expansion and job creation opportunities.

Source: editors.3news.com|Ghana