The Managing Director of Guinness Ghana Breweries Limited (GGBL), Peter Ndegwa has urged companies and stakeholders in Ghana’s manufacturing sector to use local materials for the production of their products.

He said local sourcing should be an integral part of every company since it creates employment for people in the country and revenue for the country. “It is also an opportunity for countries to gain revenue from locally exported goods and also invest in farming communities.”

He noted that investing locally should be an integral part of every company. Mr Ndegwa disclosed this during a presentation to members of the Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana (CIMG) in Accra recently on the topic: “Corporate & Marketing Challenges – The Mindset of a Strategist.”

“Until now, we have been importing a lot of input into our production so we have been using approximately 10 to 15 percent local products grown in the north. We saw the opportunity to significantly expand the brewery by using cassava to prepare beer,” he added.

He stated that the time has come for local companies to compete with foreign brands in other countries. According to him, GGBL’s production of cassava beer, Ruut Extra Premium Lager has reduced the unemployment rate in the country since most farming communities have increased their production of cassava and created a lot of revenue for the nation.

Mr Ndegwa therefore advised marketers and companies to appreciate the needs of customers, adding that marketers should return to the fundamentals of running businesses. “The best brands were created by entrepreneurs not marketers. Entrepreneurs stay true to their brands and protect their reputation at all cost,” he said. He also advised marketers to utilize the ‘4Ps’ (production, price, place and promotion) in their quest to meet the needs of customers.

GBBL, he disclosed, has been communicating with government and other stakeholders on how to develop and sustain farming communities in the country.