Accra / Ghana

Ghana, a country rich in gold, cocoa and timber, is also rich in ancient culture, with festivals and customs of social, economic and religious interest. Ghana has safe, coconut fringed beaches, forts and castles, wildlife parks and tropical rain forests. With exceptionally genuine, friendly, warm and hospitable people, Ghana is the ideal place for sun-seekers, lovers of nature, wildlife and adventure.

The country's stability has made it a primary destination for investors in Africa. Behind this favorable outlook is the performance of the Ghana Stock Exchange, which is one of the strongest of the world's emerging markets. Important initiatives have been implemented to bolster the country's economic performance. The Ghana Free Zone Board, inaugurated in 1996, was set up as a "one-stop approval service" to help investors to establish their projects. The scheme is led by the private sector, while the government and public sector only regulate the operations of the developers and operators. Another initiative, called the Gateway Project, aims to increase the competitiveness of Ghanian products in the global market through the reform of legislative, regulatory and incentive systems. In addition, developing private participation in port operations by the year 2000 will also increase competitiveness.

Ghana has made bold strides to improve its infrastructure and make the country the gateway not only to West Africa but also to the whole of Africa. The measures the country has taken to improve its economy account for the massive assistance in the form of loans and grants provided by the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and many bilateral and multilateral donor agencies. These organizations are choosing to invest in Ghana in expectation of good returns.

Chris Ampadu of the Machinery Department joined Marubeni in 1991 working on Chemicals and General Projects. Warm hearted and friendly, yet aggressive in business, Chris has eight years of experience handling various machinery business and extensive ODA projects.

Chris is also actively involved in ODA-funded road and bridge projects and fishing port refurbishing projects in Tema and Sekondi. He played a critical role in ODA rural groundwater projects in the Northern, Brong-Ahafo, Western, Eastern and Greater-Accra Regions. Chris also promotes Japanese Cultural Grants to various government institutions. Currently, he is also involved in the tire business with the aim of carving a 60 percent share of the tire market in Ghana for Marubeni, which presently accounts for about 30 percent. Chris believes in good human relationships and makes time to meet with his numerous clients to discuss and promote business.

Even though Marubeni established its name as the leader in ODA business in Ghana, Chris takes a very confident approach and has vowed to work hard to venture into new areas in accordance with the developmental efforts of the country in such areas as agro-processing, port expansion and fisheries research. Chris is an active member of Marubeni Corporation, the leading Japanese company operating in Ghana and will be an important part of expansion into neighboring countries where Marubeni's operations are, as yet, small.

The National Theatre and a branch of the central bank An office building under construction in Accra

Established: 1965

Main Businesses:

1) Handling products for Komatsu, Toyota (Toyota Ghana is Marubeni's subsidiary) and Bridgestone;
2) Telecommunications business in collaboration with Ghana Telecom and NEC, which has extended telecommunications to almost all parts of Ghana.

Employees: 12 (as of November 1999)