Frytol Cooking Vegetable Oil, a product of Wilmar Africa Limited, has been adjudged the Overall Best Ghana Made Product for the Year 2013/2014.

The 100 percent pure vegetable oil “Fortified with Vitamin A” beat more than twenty-four shortlisted indigenous products to emerge the winner in the 2nd Ghana Made Awards last night at the Banquet Hall in Accra.

Receiving the award, the Chief Financial Officer of Wilmar Africa Limited Kossonou Bini expressed his appreciation to Ghanaians for patronizing the Frytol Vegetable Cooking Oil and gave the assurance that the company would continue to provide quality products to Ghanaians.

Sam Ato Gaisie, Founder and President of Entrepreneur Foundation of Ghana, in an address, said Ghana Made Awards is about seeking the pride of Ghanaian indigenous products from large, small and medium industries and expose them to Ghanaians throughout the country to promote, create awareness and build product loyalty to meet the challenges of domestic and international markets.

“The key objectives are to provide the platform for Ghanaian consumers to patronize Ghana made products, create awareness, loyalty, recognition and prestige for Ghana made products and also encourages Ghanaian industries to make significant improvements in product excellence, innovation and quality to meet the challenges of domestic and international markets,” he said.

Mr Gaisie also mentioned that the awards will be conducted annually to offer opportunity to the manufacturing industries to gain competitive advantage by having their products recognized on a prominent and far-reaching scale.

Speaking on the theme “Industrialisation the key Strategy to Accelerated Economic Development and Job Creation” a deputy Minister of Finance, Mrs. Mona Helen Quartey said patronizing locally made goods support local job creation and growth of the economy as well as gaining confident in products being patronize.

According to Mrs Quartey, statistics have proven that there is a direct correlation between consumer purchasing behavior and employment, local economic development and prosperity. “Patronizing Ghanaian made and grown products will ensure keeping our family members employed thereby contributing to the economic development of our dear nation Ghana,” she emphasized.

The minister, however, indicated that despite the country’s trade deficits narrowing significantly to US$156.6 million from January to May of this year compared with the deficit of US$990 million in the correspondent period of 2013, the continues reliance of imports which reached US$6 billion for the first five months of the year is worrying.

“Excessive importation heightens the country’s bills, increases demands and inflates exchange rates of the international trading currencies causing uncontrollable price rise of goods and services and also create hardships and poverty for people in our country, so as private sector executives let us find ways to best support each other by buying local products that are available in this country,” Madam Quartey said.

She therefore urged Ghanaians to respond to President Mahama’s Made in Ghana Campaign by patronizing locally made goods to help grow the economy.

Wilmar Africa Limited

Wilmar Africa, is a subsidiary of Wilmar International Limited, headquartered in Singapore- Asia’s leading agribusiness group. The company is ranked amongst the largest listed company by market capitalization on the Singapore Stock Exchange.

Internationally Wilmar’s business activities include oil cultivation, oilseeds crushing, edible oils refining, sugar milling and refining especially fats, oleochemicals, biodiesel and fertilizer manufacturing and grain processing.

At the core of Wilmar’s strategy is a resilient integrated agribusiness model that encompasses the entire value chain of the agricultural commodity processing business from origination and processing to branding, merchandising and distribution of a wide range of agricultural products.

The company has over 450 manufacturing plants and an extensive distribution network covering China, India, Indonesia, Ghana and some 50 other countries. Wilmar Africa Limited is the Ghana subsidiary of Wilmar International; it took over the Uniliver Oil Refinery and the Frytol brand in mid-2010 and also took a major stake in Benso Oil Palm Plantation (BOPP)

Wilmar Africa Limited through its strategic and aggressive marketing initiatives such as brand building, consumer promotions, market activations, women’s forum, media coverage and distribution coverage has been able to shake the market in a well-organized manner and brought Frytol to its glory as a truly Ghanaian brand that is indeed a star performer.

Ghana Made Awards

Ghana Made Awards, is an initiative of Entrepreneur Foundation of Ghana and held under the auspices of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Finance. In collaboration with Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, Ghana Standard Authority, Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Private Enterprise Federation and EDAIF.

Below are the Ghana Made Award Winners for 2014