Can Design be the savior of Ghanaian industries?

On April 10 and April 11 the Ghana Netherlands Chamber of Commerce and Culture (GHANECC) organized a successful seminar with as main topic what role good product design can play in making Ghanaian products a success on a national level, but also internationally. Day 1 consisted of a CEO breakfast, and day 2 continued with a highly valuable master class at Stanford SEED.

In the morning of Thursday April 10, 2014, a CEO Breakfast was held at the Dutch Ambassador’s Residence in Cantonments, as part of this 2-day event. The central topic of discussion was Design as a Strategic Management Tool. The event was a huge success, as about 20 CEOs of smaller and bigger Ghanaian and Dutch companies joined each other at the table to discuss the future of Ghanaian business and the important role of design in this context. On day 2, April 11, 50 people attended the Master Class at Stanford SEED.

On April 10, around 9am the guests arrived at the Ambassador’s residence to be welcomed by the Dutch Ambassador Hans Docter and GHANECC representatives. After being served fresh coffee and taking a couple of bites from the delicious breakfast buffet, the event was ready to start.

The Ambassador opened the sequence of speeches by introducing the topic, and addressing the importance of design in business. As Peter Kersten (BNO Ambassador, former General Brand Manager Strategy and Marketing and Communications Canon Europe) explained a little bit more in-depth the topic, more coffee was served and breakfast delicacies were brought to the table. Peter Kersten’s talk was followed by an illuminating presentation by Rudolf van Gompel (Director of Retail Vlisco Group) about the development, image and strategies of Vlisco Group.

This was followed by Norkor Duah (CEO The Advantage Group), who explained how design for branding has become the ignored management tool in Africa. Elucidating into detail on his topic, it became very clear that steps need to be taken if we want Ghanaian companies to play a more prominent role with their products within Ghana, but also abroad. After the main speakers had spoken their enlightening words, Kwesi Abaidoo (President Institute of Packaging Ghana and Vice President APO) led the interesting discussions on the topic, which demonstrated clearly the involvement and interest of Ghanaian companies in design and branding in business.

Barbara Davies (The Advantage Group) continued the morning session by explaining more about the Ghana Design Network development, an initiative of which the CEO Breakfast of Thursday morning serves as a starting point.

Closing the first day of the event, Nico van Staalduinen, Managing Director of GHANECC mentioned a bit of brand history in Ghana, and thanked the people who were involved in the organization of the breakfast. Special thanks went to the Dutch Ambassador, Hans Doctor, in the form of a token of appreciation: a Dutch Wooden shoe and a Ghanaian Ohenema (slipper) symbolizing Dutch - Ghanaian cooperation.

The next day, on April 11, 50 people attended the design master class at Stanford SEED. A very satisfying number, as the expected number of attendants was 35. The beautiful space that Emmanuel Kitcher (Director Stanford SEED) kindly had offered to us for the event was more than full, and proved to be the perfect place with all facilities needed for an event such as this. Peter Kersten (BNO Ambassador, former General Brand Manager Strategy and Marketing and Communications Canon Europe) gave a captivating master class on the topics of design and branding, and its role in business success. Up until the end, people were glued to the screen and Peter Kersten’s story. The successful day was closed by a cocktail in the Stanford SEED garden.

The 2-day Design Master Class was sponsored by PUM, The Advantage Group, Vlisco Group, Brands & Products, Unilever, The Business & Financial Times, GhanaWeb, Color Planet and Graphic Communications Group.