The Deputy Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Mark OkrakuMantey, has assured Melcom Group of Companies of an enabling environment for the business to thrive.
He stated that the company’s increasing investments across the country had made it one of the biggest shopping centres in the country.
Mr Mantey said this on Thursday at Spintex, Accra during the opening of a new Lebanese, Hallab Gourmet at the new Melcom Mall.
Hallab Gourmet 1881, the first in Africa brings to Accra the iconic Lebanese confectionery and delicious homemade oriental pastries made with the nuts, pistachios, pine kernels, and other vitamin-loaded prime ingredients.
Originating from the ancestral Lebanese city of Tripoli, it has become a pioneer in the world of oriental sweets and is widely recognised internationally as the leading brand for Lebanese premium sweets.
Mr Mantey commended the company for its contributions towards improving and sustaining the country’s tourism and socio-economic development.
He has therefore, assured that the government would continue to create the enabling environment to ensure that it continued to thrive in its operations.
“The Melcom story is very interesting, we all know how it started and how they’ve managed to get the company to this level. It doesn’t just happen, it takes some degree of hard work to get to where they’ve gotten to,” he said.
MrMantey further said that government was working on improving on the country’s framework to remove any bottlenecks that hindered private investors and give them the opportunity to expand their businesses and employ more people.
He said the aim was to make tourism the number one contributor to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), adding that could not happen without the support of the private sector.
The deputy minister, therefore, urged the private sector to stay focused and support the government to achieve that aim.
The Melcom Group Chair, Sheila Khubchandani, said the company had revamped its brand, adding that aside from the visible changes, it had also completely redefined its vision.
She said the Melcom Group was now focused on enhancing the experience of customers and plansto diversify into the hospitality space.
“These helps us to give our customers a truly unmatched experience and I will like to also commend the Hallab Gourmet 1881 team for stepping foot in Africa and choosing Ghana,” MrsKhubchandani said.
At the Melcom Mall, she said the Hallab Gourmet 1881 would continue to enhance and offer customers’ expectations to maintain their loyalty.
She said a well-structured food safety and quality management system which complied with not only Food and Drugs Authority’s (FDA) regulations, but met international standards in order to serve customers with a consistent supply of premium quality products to meet their lifestyles.
The Lebanese Ambassador to Ghana, MaherKhier, noted that the occasion was a testament to the strong cultural and commercial ties between Lebanon and Ghana.
He said the Lebanese cuisine was known for its rich history and diversity of flavour that came from a fusion of Mediterranean and Middle East influences to form the authentic flavors ofLebanon.
BY JEMIMA ESINAM KUATSINU
