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Local entrepreneurs urged not to depend on
political patronage
Accra, May 13, Ghanadot/GNA
– Vice-President John Dramani Mahama has asked local
entrepreneurs not to depend on political patronage in growing
their enterprises.
Rather, they should develop their businesses through hard work,
discipline and the deployment of needed professional skills.
He said while government was determined to promote local
entrepreneurship without discrimination on party political
grounds, wrong doing would not be tolerated as enterprise or
where people set up dummy companies just to plunder state
resources.
Vice President Mahama said this in a speech read on his behalf
at the 15th anniversary celebration of Strategic Communications
Africa Limited on Wednesday.
He said government was encouraging Ghanaians to be active in
pursuing opportunities in the burgeoning oil and gas industry
and take significant share of the monies that would be invested
in the exploration and development stages of the project.
In doing this, Vice-President Mahama said, it was important that
Ghanaian entrepreneurs do not only become passive fronts or
agents for foreign firms in the industry.
“We must work to create local enterprises even if it is not easy
in the beginning. That way, the benefits of our natural
resources will accrue to us, not to the foreigners who are
descending on Takoradi and the Western Region in their numbers.
In this direction, government had urged foreign partners
involved in developing the Jubillee Field, to comply with the
laws that require that preference be given to using local goods
and services and that Ghanaians be employed at all levels of the
operations once they had the requisite expertise.
“The challenge is for us to show our capabilities and exhibit
the highest levels of professionalism whether as welders, rig
workers, engineering, financial or administrative staff so that
we can effectively lay claim to the job positions that are being
created,” he said.
Vice-President Mahama lauded the entrepreneurial ability of Ms.
Esther Cobbah, Chief Executive Officer of Stratcomm, and paid
glowing tribute to her and team for their indomitable spirit and
conquering drive even in the face of difficulties, especially in
2008.
He stressed the importance of effective communication at all
levels in promoting government programmes, saying without good
communication skills well-intended projects could fail.
Ms. Esther Cobbah urged communication practitioners to be able
to achieve national development and international understanding
by enhancing the effectiveness of the messages they churned out.
The day was marked by songs of praise to God and a cutting of a
birthday cake to celebrate the occasion.
GNA |
