By Emmanuel Mensah-Abludo
A digital marketing platform dubbed “Made in Northern Ghana (MiNG) has been launched in Wa in the Upper West Region.
The initiative is a fruit of a partnership between Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI) and Market Oriented Agriculture Programme in North-West Ghana (MOAP-NW).
The platform is to serve as a channel where products and services from Northern Ghana can easily be accessed.
The Upper West Regional Manager of GNCCI, Jeremiah B. Tengan, who gave an overview of the project, indicated that the utilisation of that MiNG digital platform will enhance the standard of living of the people because it will eliminate the issue of middlemen and its associated challenges.
“If you are in this particular market,you deal directly with the buyer, you don’t need to wait for a middleman to come and then manoeuvre his way out, and you stay in poverty, so you will get a good market for your product. And for that, you can increase your production, create more employment for the youth and yourself,” he observed. Giving further details, Mr. Tengan said prior to the design of the platform, a sensitization was carried out to ensure buy-in by the business community in the Northern sector.
He announced that GNCCI is also collaborating with the Development Bank of Ghana (DBG) for the bank to give long term loans ranging from five to 15 years.
A Software Developer, Abudu Bayorwor, made a presentation on how the products would be featured on the platform. He stated, “When you come to the second layer of the website, you will see some other featured products. When we say featured products, as I said, people actually want their products to come first on the system. Like you created a store but you want a particular product of your store to be displayed at the topside of the website. You can request a space, and the product will be listed there.”
Inclusive Business Development Expert at MOAP-NW, Reuben Binpori, commended GNCCI, SMEs, and other allies for the synergy toward the development of the digital platform and expressed appreciation to the EU-Ghana Agriculture Programme (EU-GAP) for its financial assistance towards the online platform project.
Alhaji Salford Iddrisu, who launched the online platform, entreated individuals and SMEs in the Northern Enclave to make maximum use of the digital platform to improve their lot and assured that GNCCI is ready to help surmount the challenges associated with running the platform.
The Wa Municipal Director of Agriculture and Coordinator for the EU-GAP Project Coordinating Unit, Abu Huudu, advised SMEs to take advantage of the opportunities that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) offers to upscale their businesses. He equally stressed the necessity for SMEs to network in order to enjoy the associated benefits of networking.
