Organisers have unveiled the Ghana Platinum Excellence Awards, a new national scheme to celebrate and document the country’s oldest enduring companies, with the main launch set for July.
Addressing the media ahead of that launch, the chief executive of Re-Focus Experience Ghana Limited, Nii Saka Brown, said the awards will identify, document, celebrate and draw lessons from firms that have lasted for decades through political shifts, downturns and changing markets. The organisers say the initiative carries government support.
Brown set out a broad purpose for the scheme. He said it will spotlight Ghana’s corporate heritage, push a culture of sustainability and long term thinking, reward strong governance and succession planning, inspire entrepreneurs to build businesses that last, and help preserve the nation’s economic history.
He argued that too many promising ventures fold soon after they start, often through poor management and weak succession plans, carrying away jobs, opportunities and hard won lessons. Others, he noted, have defied the odds. “Some organisations have survived for over 40, 50, 75, and even 100 years,” he said, describing them as living lessons for the next generation of business leaders.
The awards will also feature a Legacy Business Forum, a high level gathering of business leaders, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, policymakers, investors, development partners, academics and industry experts.
