Business mogul and Chief Executive Officer of Dzata Cement, Ibrahim Mahama has said Ghana needs more locally owned manufacturing companies to build a stronger and more resilient industrial base.
His comment comes at a time when Ghana’s manufacturing sector continues to have relatively few large indigenous companies operating at scale, despite repeated calls for increased local production and industrialisation.
Speaking at the fifth anniversary launch of Dzata Cement on October 6, Ibrahim Mahama said Ghanaian business owners must have greater confidence in their ability to manufacture locally rather than leaving major industrial ventures largely to foreign businesses.
“For far too long, Ghanaians, we have put ourselves low, and we want to always be the slave to the foreigners. There are other ventures that I want to prove to Ghanaians that we can’t always be beggars, and we can’t only just be employees of foreign companies. We can build it ourselves,” he stated.
For Ibrahim Mahama, building a stronger manufacturing sector is not only about establishing businesses but also creating an environment where Ghanaian entrepreneurs are prepared to take risks and develop industries that can survive beyond one generation.
That, he says, requires parents and business owners to be willing to give their children opportunities to lead, while providing the support needed to navigate the risks that come with running a business.
The presence of his daughter, Nafisa Ibrahim, as Managing Director of Dzata Cement provides a practical example of that approach.
“In life, some of us should learn these lessons. We won’t live forever. So sometimes we should give the children the opportunity to be able to take that risk of managing. I have a business motto. I’ve run Engineers and Planners for the past 30 years. What we do is that we start running together, and then as our children grow, we employ them in the business. We teach them, and then we retire,” he added.
