News
8 enterprises recognised at 2025 Ghana National Kaizen Awards
- /home/u249204778/domains/spectator.com.gh/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 27
https://spectator.com.gh/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Ms-Ansei-fourth-from-left-Mr-Yoshimoto-third-from-left-with-other-dignitaries-at-the-event.jpg&description= 8 enterprises recognised at 2025 Ghana National Kaizen Awards', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">
- Share
- Tweet /home/u249204778/domains/spectator.com.gh/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 72
https://spectator.com.gh/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Ms-Ansei-fourth-from-left-Mr-Yoshimoto-third-from-left-with-other-dignitaries-at-the-event.jpg&description= 8 enterprises recognised at 2025 Ghana National Kaizen Awards', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">
The 2025 Ghana National Kaizen Awards (GNKA) was on Tuesday held in Accra.
It was organised by the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA) and the Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA).
On the same platform, the UNIDO Smart Performance Analytics for Real-time Kaizen (U-SPARK) Project, developed with support from the Government of Japan, was launched.
Already piloted in five firms, U-SPARK was designed to help Ghanaian businesses diagnose operational challenges, optimise processes, reduce waste, and build resilient value chains.
Addressing guests at the event, the Deputy Chief of Staff (Administration), Ms Nana Oye Bampoe Addo, said Ghana had taken bold steps to become Africa’s hub of productivity and innovation, with government rolling out reforms and investments anchored in the philosophy of Kaizen’s continuous improvement.
She added that government was determined to ease the financial burden on businesses, citing the GH¢500m Development Bank Ghana facility made available to SMEs in agriculture and value chain strengthening after the Kwahu Business Forum.
Ms Bampoe Addo also announced that government had secured a $100 million investment from partners in Japan and Singapore to establish Africa’s first AI-powered agricultural hub.
According to her, this initiative, together with the “Made-in-Ghana Agenda” and “Export Ghana Policy,” would boost local industries and leverage opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, the Director of SME Development, Mrs Cynthia Djokoto, noted that Kaizen had evolved from a methodology into a culture of discipline, efficiency, and competitiveness within Ghanaian enterprises.
The Chief Executive Officer of GEA, Ms Margaret Ansei, linked Kaizen directly to President Mahama’s 24-hour economy vision, stressing that continuous improvement was critical for businesses to thrive in a productivity-driven future.
She recalled the country’s achievements at the continental level, where enterprises such as Francis Aluminium, Tiwajo Enterprise, and Solution Oasis had been recognised at the Africa Kaizen Awards.
The Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Hiroshi Yoshimoto, praised Ghana’s leadership in Kaizen adoption, describing it as a people-centred approach that required discipline rather than large investments.
This year’s GNKA recognised eight outstanding enterprises of which two emerged as the overall winners in the small and medium category which included Odina Couture and Amanex Company Limited.
Others recognised were Aspee Pharmaceuticals, Taabea Company Limited, Yedent Agro Group, Mass Industries Limited, Bomarts Farms Limited, and Aniwasu Garments for their innovation, productivity, and resilience.
By Cecilia Yada Lagba
Join our WhatsApp Channel now!
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU2
The Parliamentary Select Committee on Energy has appealed to the Ministry of Finance to release GH¢5.6 million to the Petroleum Commission to enable it to establish and operate a world-class data centre.
According to the Committee, access to the funds will strengthen the Commission’s capacity to manage critical upstream petroleum data and improve its operations.
Speaking during the appeal, Chairman of the Committee, Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah, said the move was crucial to efforts to revitalise Ghana’s upstream petroleum industry and increase oil production.
He noted that although investment and hydrocarbon production had declined in recent years, Parliament’s approval of an extension of the petroleum agreement to 2030 had attracted additional funding and contributed to an increase in production from about 80,000 to 120,000 barrels per day.
Meanwhile, concerns have been raised over repeated budget allocations for oil exploration in the Voltaian Basin.
Mr. Bedzrah stressed that funds approved for exploration must produce tangible results, adding that the Committee would require clear evidence of progress before supporting future budget allocations for the programme.
The appeal was made during a working visit to the Petroleum Commission as part of the Committee’s oversight activities to assess its operations and management procedures.
During the engagement, the Chief Executive Officer of the Petroleum Commission, Emeafa Hardcastle, took the Committee through the Commission’s working procedures and mandate, which includes regulating, managing and coordinating upstream petroleum activities.
She disclosed that since assuming office in 2025, government had pursued measures to reverse the decline in crude oil production, sustain output and reposition Ghana as an attractive destination for investment in Africa’s increasingly competitive petroleum sector.
In addition, she said government had secured fresh commitments of about US$35 billion to help revitalise the sector.
As part of the oversight exercise, the Committee is expected to conclude its monitoring visit with engagements at the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) and the Ghana Oil Company Limited (GOIL).
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
News
“No civilisation deserves to be annihilated” – Mahama calls for dialogue on global conflicts at UNGA 81
President John Dramani Mahama has called for solidarity and dialogue in resolving global conflicts, insisting that no civilisation deserves to be wiped out.
“No human civilisation deserves to be annihilated, certainly not a member state of the United Nations,” President Mahama stated in his address at the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
He called for solidarity with nations facing terrorism, especially the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), and for a uniform approach to conflicts in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
On the Middle East, the President called for a return to negotiations, saying “The current Middle East crisis is having a deleterious effect on the world economy.”
“I believe that dialogue can resolve even the most intractable of problems,” he added.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
