The India Africa Trade Council (IATC), a non-governmental organisation, has appointed Mr James Rajamani, founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Kingdom Exim Group Limited (KEGL), as Chairman and Chief Chancellor of the India Africa Trade Council (IATC), West Africa.
He was officially sworn into office last Thursday at a ceremony held in Tema.
High profile government officials, business moguls and other prominent people in Ghana and some parts of West Africa attended the ceremony.
In his address, Mr Rajamani expressed gratitude to the IATC for the trust reposed in him and assured that he would dedicate himself to activities that would further champion the cause of IATC.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to serve India and Africa, I urge you all to support me bearing in mind that my sole aim is to achieve excellence,” he added.
Dr Nana Ato Arthur, head of Local Government Services, on his part said the activities of the IATC would go a long way in boosting business relationships between Ghana and India.
In his remarks, the IATC Director in charge of West Africa, Mr Jeremiah Quayson, stated that Mr Rajamani deserved the position because of the various roles he had played in reducing unemployment in the country and alleviating poverty among the citizenry through the establishment of KEGL, which has been in existence in Ghana since 2008.
Mr Quayson noted that his outfit was keen on selecting very successful business fellows as council members, to help grow various businesses across the West African Sub-region and propagate the agenda of IATC.
Explaining, he said the passion of Mr Rajamani, an electrical engineer by profession, to put up the KEGL was borne out of a passionate desire to create jobs and reduce unemployment.
From an employee count of two, the KEGL, according to Mr Quayson, had grown into a group of nine companies with over a thousand employees.
“His unique and strong leadership abilities are evident in the rapid growth of his companies, firmly established in a culture of sound financial planning and good governance practices.
Through his strategic leadership, the company has received recognition and numerous awards both in Ghana and internationally, notable among them being the President’s National awards for Exports Achievement. Mr Rajamani’s passion to create jobs continues to be his motivation and we at IATC admire that,” he added.
According to Mr Quayson, the visionary leadership and passion of the business mogul had over the years transformed the KEGL, adding that his spirit of selflessness was part of the reason why he was appointed.
He assured that Mr Rajamani was more than fit and qualified to carry out his duties as the Chief Chancellor and chairman of IATC West Africa.
The IATC, Mr Quayson said, was formed last year in consultation with the various heads of trade bodies in Africa with the aim of giving the business communities of the two regions, a tool to foster development, adding that another vision of IATC was to propel major integration projects initiated by member countries, in efforts to eradicate trade deficiencies through multi-lateral advocacy programmes.
BY RAISSA SAMBOU
