The GFZA CEO has kicked-off a week-long engagement with licenced free zone companies in the Ashanti and Western Regions of Ghana.
With two enclaves in the Western Region and one in the Ashanti Region, Ghana’s lead agency for regulating the Free Zones scheme and Ghana’s Special Economic Zones stands ready to do more.
Mr. Mike Oquaye Jnr. and his team kicked-off the customer-facing engagement in the Ashanti Region.
His first stop was at Angel FM, where he answered questions from listeners and the presenter centred on the institution’s mandate and the plans Ghana has to accelerate development of the Great Kumasi Industrial City Project.
The CEO stressed the need for Ashanti-based industrialists with export orientation to take advantage of available incentives.
“It is our mandate as an institution to support you in achieving more exports as Ghana takes the needed steps to address its structural economic set-up. Accelerating our export drive is imperative to becoming the Ghana we want,” said, Mike Oquaye Jnr.
As part of the regional tour, the team visited Juaben Oil Mills Limited – an agro-processing company at the heart of adding value to oil palm, among others.
After touring the factory and engaging with its leadership, the GFZA team then paid a courtesy call to the Omanhene of Juaben traditional area, Nana Otuo Siriboe II.
Amb. Mike Oquaye thanked Nana for his continuous support to industrialisation, and for guiding and shaping the growth of Juaben Oil Mills from inception to date.
Nana Otuo Siriboe II commended Amb. Mike Oquaye for his stellar performance at the GFZA and urged him to do more to achieve the mandate given him by the president on behalf of the good people of Ghana.
The GFZA then visited OLAM Ghana Limited, one of Ghana’s largest licenced agro-food processing firms. OLAM Ghana is an adept buyer and exporter of processed cocoa, cashew and rice in Ghana.
Mr. Oquaye encouraged OLAM to do more for the sector, as he committed to working closely with the company to clear bottlenecks that might impede its growth
The next company visited by the team was Logs & Lumber Ghana Limited, one of the leading timber-logging and processing companies in Ghana and the West African sub-region. Amb. Mike Oquaye noted the company’s concerns and committed to working with other state actors to address them.
In the Western Region, Ambassador Oquaye and the team paid a working visit to the Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko Mensah, to discuss pertinent land-related issues before heading for the Lands Commission with the team.
Before meeting the Regional Minister, Mr. Oquaye was interviewed extensively on Skyy FM during which he updated listeners on a wide range of issues about Free Zones and their activities in the Western Region.
The GFZA team then met with the CEO and management team of Wayoe Engineering & Construction Limited – one of the largest indigenous privately-owned engineering and construction companies in West Africa.
The group toured the company’s new factory to get a sense of the investment it has made and its growth potential. Amb. Mike Oquaye committed to working closely with the company on finding lasting solutions to some identified problems.
The team then visited Amalitech Limited, a social enterprise that harnesses the potential of remote work to build the future of work in sub-Saharan Africa.
Speaking at the end of the one-week working visit, Mr. Oquaye expressed satisfaction with the achievements of many institutions in the two regions.
He also charged regional heads of the GFZA to continue delivering value to all GFZA-licenced businesses.
Mr. Ziblim Alhassan, Director of Administration and Human Resources; Mr. Jesse Agyepong, Director of Corporate Affairs; and Mr. Lawrence Osei-Boateng, Director of Business Development and Research, accompanied Ambassador Mike Oquaye on the working visit. He was also accompanied by Mr. Ricky Osei Owusu, Regional Head of the Ashanti Region; Hajia Hanatu Abubakar, Regional Director for the Western Region; Mr. Fred Agyei-Gyane, Manager in Charge of Compliance; and Mr. Harry Ansah, Personal Assistant to the CEO.
