…as it celebrates 10th anniversary
By Kingsley Webora TANKEH
The Canada Ghana Chamber of Commerce (CANCHAM) has made significant strides in wooing Canadian companies into Ghana – especially in the mining sector – and reshaping the capabilities of Ghanaian businesses for international deals.
Launching the Chamber’s 10th anniversary celebration in Accra, the president of CANCHAM, Linda Vasnani, pointed to tangible outcomes in direct value-added partnerships, particularly in the mining sector.
“Through our trade missions there have been some very fruitful partnerships, especially in the mining space,” Mrs. Vasnani stated.
She noted: “The beauty of it is that it’s not just a partnership where a foreign company comes in, but they come in and add value, making the Ghanaian companies better”.
The emphasis on “adding value” marks a strategic pivot from the foibles of companies in Africa’s extractive industries where foreign firms often extract and export raw resources, providing less benefit to locals. This therefore prioritises technology and skills transfer, as well as operational upgrades for local partners.
Mrs. Vasnani said the Chamber identified a critical gap in its early years: many local members were “not really positioned to do international business with Canadian companies”.
Therefore, the Chamber’s response has been a focused effort to “build capacity among them, especially in the area of corporate governance”.
This, according to her, is a recognition that access to capital and markets is often determined by a company’s internal structures, transparency and management practices.
She noted that by strengthening the corporate governance of Ghanaian SMEs, CANCHAM aims to make them bankable and partnership-ready for Canadian investors and multinationals.
“One of our priority areas is investments, because we need better financing options in this country. I know a lot of SMEs can do much more if they have the funds – and so one of our areas will be to look at how we can get investors in and help our member companies,” she stated.
Mrs. Vasnani noted that the Chamber has long shifted from advocacy to active business facilitation. “It’s no longer just a platform for dialogue but an intermediary de-risking cross-border engagement. For Canadian firms, the Chamber vets and prepares local partners. For Ghanaian firms, it provides the toolkit to meet international standards,” she explained.
CANCHAM membership has surged from under 50 at inception to over 123 – spanning the mining, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, construction and hospitality sectors.
The Canadian High Commissioner to Ghana, H.E. Myriam Montrat, framed this within the larger bilateral context, emphasising that the two countries enjoy a partnership “rooted in shared ideals” of fairness and transparency.
“Canadian companies entering Ghana have found a welcoming network, ready to collaborate,” she said.
Post Views: 45
Discover more from The Business & Financial Times
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
