Ghana remains good place for investment – Unilever Ghana, MD
Unilever Ghana says the decision to relocate its Lipton tea production line to its subsidiary in Nigeria has nothing to do with the unfavourable business conditions in Ghana.
It said it was part of a global strategy to transfer operations to the Nigerian firm, Eketerra.
The Managing Director of Unilever Ghana, Chris Wulff-Caesar, who disclosed this during a tour of the Unilever Ghana factory in Tema last week, said the decision to relocate the tea operations from Ghana was taken in 2021 when there was no dumsor.
Mr Wulff-Caesar said Ghana remained a good place for investment, saying, “When you go out you see a lot of investments around the country and that send a signal that Ghana is a good investment destination.”
The Managing Director of Unilever Ghana said when he assumed position in April this year as the new head of Unilever Ghana, he had visited the Ghana Stock Exchange, Association of Ghana Industries, Ghana Employers Association and most importantly the market.
“The message that I want to send out is that Unilever is here to stay. We have been here for over hundred years and have not shirked our responsibility of supporting economic growth and development of Ghana,” Mr Wulff-Caesar stated.
He said Unilever Ghana was excited about the investment potentials of Ghana, adding that his outfit had been a significant employer in Ghana for the past century and also providing for the household needs of consumers.
He emphasised the company’s collaboration with the relevant authorities to verify the activities of individuals involved in counterfeit consumer goods and importers who evade paying the correct amount of duties at the country’s ports.
“We are playing this role not just to protect our business but the Ghanaian economy,” he stated, adding that the interest of Unilever Ghana was fair competition and also to promote the interest of consumers.
Touching on the performance of the company, Mr Wulff-Caesar said the past five years had been difficult for Unilever Ghana but the managers of the company had been able to turn around the company.
He said the growth of Unilever Ghana had been doubled between 2020 and 2023.
Mr Wulff-Caesar said Unilever Ghana grew it top line by 44 per cent between 2022 and 2023.
“We are on the growth path and our objective is to sustain and lift this growth to the next level,” Mr Wulff-Caesar stated.
The Managing Director of Unilever Ghana said his outfit would continue to invest to promote the growth of the business so as to meet the consumer needs of customers.
BY KINGSLEY ASARE
