MARKETING PRECEPTS IN AKPLE/BANKU AND FUFU I

Successful cooperate firms root from dominant marketing strategies. Marketing gives direction to a company on its future. Marketing is so crucial in business organisations that it is the controlling concept in the product design process. Any firm that disregards the impact of marketing in its product formation has set the stage for her own failure. The only headache marketing offers is its nature – an inexact science. Unlike all other scientific processes, the results from a specific marketing strategy is not always reproducible even if one follows its rubrics to the letter.`

apply the heat   credit:globalzoo.de

Akple/banku are two of the most popular foods in Ghana. They are indigenous foods. The people love them. It would be a major shock for a native of the Volta Region to say he/she does not have akple as a top three food choice, and the same bewilderment would be associated with an Ashanti, Fante, Akwapim et al who maintains a similar stance when asked about fufu. Interestingly, there are a lot of marketing lessons in the process of cooking akple and the pounding of fufu, which could be lethal to competitors if a company puts them into practice.

Firstly, the foodstuff for the preparation of both akple and fufu are mainly cassava & maize, and cassava, yam, plantain respectively. Cassava, maize, yam and plantain are all traditional foodstuff in Ghana. They are the foundation of the feeding culture of the people since time immemorial. Ghanaians have always had the love for high carbohydrate foods. One of the finest issue to consider in the marketing process is to design a product that the people /market could easily associate themselves with. Ghanaians tend to be more comfortable with products they could easily relate themselves to. Marketing best works when it connects naturally and directly with the culture of the market. A company marketing soaps in Keta should use a picture of the sea shore as the background image of her billboard and observe the magic that happens thereafter. 

Furthermore, meeting the demands of the market does not come any easier than understanding the cultural dynamics of the people more so in a nation like Ghana.

Communication is also a cornerstone of marketing. A good communicator could easily pass for a good marketer. The principle of communication is illustrated in the heat applied during the preparation of akple and fufu. Heat is used throughout the preparation of both akple and fufu. For akple, heat is involved in the entire process whiles heat is only used at the preliminary stages of fufu- i.e to boil the foodstuff in readiness for pounding. It is essential a marketer turns on the heat whiles marketing. Heat in this sense means the adoption of linguistics/graphics that would boil your target. At the end of the day, your targets boil to your advantage. A typical example of heat being used in marketing is tigo’s ‘’drop that yam’’ promo. ‘’Drop that yam’’ may not be the most acceptable phrase in the Ghanaian setting, but tigo was able to use it to boil the Ghanaian the market, and now the youth-most notably-are all enthused about dropping that yam.

However, caution must be the taken in the kilojoules of heat applied because so much heat could destroy the target and turn him/her off just like what would happen when too much heat is applied during the process of cooking akple. The finest result one gets in the event of too much heat is likely to be charcoal.

In addition, the process pounding fufu is a very great example communication technique. In the case where two people are involved in the pounding process, they need to time and coordinate well lest one-the person turning the fufu in the mortar-gets injured. In the circumstance in which only one person is involved in the act of the pounding the fufu, he/she still needs to ensure good timing and coordination between his/her hand holding the pestle and the other hand turning the fufu in the mortar. It is imperative in 21^st century marketing when you put out a message and how you put the message across. The target must be must be conditioned for the message and the product must also supplement the target. In terms client-supplier relationship, the supplier needs to coordinate with the client in speech just like the pestle and the turning-hand-in-the mortar coordinate. Coordination and timing are also paramount in managing customer-producer relationship, which is a major guiding principle in marketing. 

  an ideal communication technique    credit: ghanatoghana.com

Finally, creating awareness on products is another hurdle a marketer has to overcome. In most Ghanaians homes, it is not unusual to know when either akple or fufu is on the menu. It is a routine. Every clever marketer should work on achieving a routine cycle to create awareness about his/her new/upcoming products. Let the customer always expect something new and exciting at a particular point of the year/production season. 

It establishes a totally amasing euphoria about if the producer constantly blows the mind of customers on schedule. Sooner than later, customers and the media cannot wait for that time of the year. Apple has mastered the act of getting the table set before time through their Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). Now we all look up to September each year to know what Apple has in store for us. Applying the practice of knowing before-hand when to prepare fufu/akple in Ghanaian homes does not only give the producer knee jerk publicity but also it adds to the branding of the company- a unique customer relation approach [we shall take a look at branding some other time].  

The preparation of akple and fufu take hardwork, pinpoint concentration, flexibility, brute force and passion. All are skills and attitudes are available at the disposal of marketers who aspire to be extraordinary to utilise. I shall catch up with you later with episode II on this post and also introduce to you another fav Gh food kenkey. 

THE DILEMMA OF THE INDIGENOUS GHANAIAN ENTREPRENEUR

In the world of entrepreneurship, if seeds were ideas, water would be funds. It is inevitable the success or otherwise of a business firm depends on a lot of factors and funding is chief among them. Sufficient funds give the freedom to an entrepreneur to implement his/her ideas in a natural free flowing manner. I believe availability of enough funds for start-ups is a lynchpin between ideas and businesses. The importance of funding in a business be it social/commercial cannot be underestimated.

the demise of Merchant Bank says all about the favouritism shown by state banks             credit; rokfmonline

It is a very sad to see that due to unavailability of funds, multi-billion dollar business potentials are shattered in Ghana. Even the ones that are able to strive in the harsh financial ecosystem in the country do so in so much anguish that they also deliver below par, and never reach their full potential.

I am not insinuating that the survival of a business firm is solely dependent on funding but l have realised that the business czars that we could produce are somewhere below the poverty line due to lack of funding. I am aware to be an accomplished entrepreneur; one has to roar across the turbulent waves of funding expertly. 

Also, l have listened to a lot of motivational speakers in the past- and still on-going- one should not focus on money when one sets out to establish a firm, but l do not concur fully.

Looking at the annual turnovers of the indigenous companies in the country as compared to the foreign ones, there is a huge gap. This gap is mainly due to the varying financial muscles of the various firms. Now you understand when l tell you that the motivational speakers speak just for the sake of motivation. How many indigenous companies have had an annual turnover of at least $100m since three years ago? Are we trying to suggest that the foreign businessmen understand the marketing dynamics in the country more than the indigenous businessmen? In any case, it is the locals who work for these multi-million foreign firms in the country. Why have we not got any locally owned telco? Let us forget about the text book talks and face the pressing challenges;

To start with, the private banks and investment firms have failed at financing the Ghanaian entrepreneur. There cannot be any excuse from banks in Ghana on part of their failure to adequately finance the Ghanaian entrepreneur. At best the private banks give meagre loans at ridiculous rates to the poor indigenous entrepreneur. I cannot recall from the facts the last time a Ghanaian entrepreneur was granted a loan of $20m by either a private bank or investment firm in the country.

UT Bank; a model of Ghanaian excellence       credit; utbankghana

It is high time the private banks began to stock out the cash with believe in the Ghanaian entrepreneur. The avalanche of foreign entrepreneurs trooping in the country on daily basis is enough proof of the revenue capacity Ghana hosts. In the usual event of lack of trust in the Ghanaian entrepreneur by the financial firms, a part ownership agreement of the project could be struck. Furthermore, the part ownership approach allows the banks and investment firms to gain their huge interest returns although the actual rate is lower in principle. The banks should stop playing it safe with the government syndicates and treasuries.

In addition, the government is most culpable when it comes to empowering the Ghanaian entrepreneur. Quite paradoxically, the state is at chance to benefit largely when we harbour multi-billion dollar firms in the nation. The Kuffour administration started with the comedies of funding initiatives but l have been absolutely stunned by the Mahama approach. EDAIF, YES and GYEEDA, just name them; these are all initiatives for elementary school pupils who want to take lessons in business management. I am overwhelmingly disappointed in the government of the current and all governments of the past on their approach- if there was even one-to funding.

The state owned banks are also not helping the course of the Ghanaian entrepreneurs. It is a shame to know that families and affiliates of the leaders of our nation get fat loans from the state banks when more viable business ideas from the ‘’common man’’ gets peanuts or no funding at all. Ever heard of the collapse of erstwhile Merchant Bank?

The state must adopt a paradigm shift if we are to get any solution to the menace of funding of the indigenous entrepreneur. If not for anything let the managers of our economy be motivated by the results that would be produced if the indigenous entrepreneur is well funded.

GCB;the hope of  any transformation in the state banking sector        credit:gcbbank

Finally, the citizenry at large needs to aid the home-grown entrepreneur. We just need to cultivate the habit of investing and learn to make smart investment decision. An Ewe sage is translated ‘’when the mouth over-fulls, the beard gets its share’’

Funding is a big deal more so in a country like Ghana with all the potentials. It is evident from the success of the bigwigs in the Silicon Valley the huge role funding plays in a business establishment.

ABOCCO; THE MIGHTY AFRICAN

I present to you a young African full with vim and ambitions. His name is Ato Ulzen-Appiah, an entrepreneur. I met Ato for the first time back in 2012 at one of his initiatives Barcamp Tema- an event l attended with some of my mates from Ketasco under the supervision of another vim dude Gameli-at the Central University Campus, Miotso, and later on l had the privilege of meeting him again at last year’s Barcamp Ho in October. I prefer to call him by his twitter handle-Abocco- because the most impact he’s made on me has being via the social media: something he himself admitted when he referred to me as his ‘’twitter friend’’ when we met at Barcamp Ho. 

Ato Ulzen Appiah

It is with so much inspiration that l write this post and l hope you also get inspired reading it.

AtoUlzen-Appiah is a Ghanaian by birth. He hails from Elmina in the Central Region of Ghana, and grew up in ‘’an open environment’’ at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology where he stayed with his family due to his dad’s work as a lecturer. His early educational life span out at KNUST primary & secondary schools, and then later Presby Boys School, Legon. He spent ten years in the United States of America where he pursued civil engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and subsequently management at Stanford. He had a working stint with Google as a programme manager building sustainable tech communities in Africa.  

With all his credentials, Ato could have chosen to stay in the US and make a name for himself, but rather boldly, he chose to come back home to Ghana.

Ato founded GhanaThink Foundation (and currently serves in the capacity of the Director) together with a colleague in the US. GhanaThink is a Ghana-US based organisation that focuses on mobilising and organising talents for the primary benefit of Ghana. Now one would understand why he chose to come back to Ghana over staying in the US and being a google millionaire.

GhanaThink has had many initiatives since its inception. These initiatives includes: BarcampGhana, a networking event in all the regions of Ghana bringing young people of Ghana together from diverse fields of life. Barcamp Ghana has held over 30 events since its pilot programme in 2008.

In addition to Barcamp Ghana, Museke is another brainchild of GhanaThink under Ato’s co-leadership. Museke solves the problem of African music space.

Furthermore, GhanaThink gave birth to Kasahorow. Kasahorow is an African dictionary. Credit to Ato and his team you can conveniently type your  Ewe and Twi and all other African keys on your devices.

Also, GhanaThink founded and supervises the activities of JuniorCamp Ghana. JuniorCamp seeks to shape future leaders in Ghana through mentorship, networking and training.

The Ghana Volunteer Programme (GVP) is also an initiative of Ato. GVP has set out to awake patriotism in Ghanaian youths through voluntary activities that are 3-day events held all around the nation usually around 21^st September each year- Founder’s day.

Personally, Ato has spearheaded the revolution of some really cool movements on twitter. Some of which include, #233moments #SoboloSaturday #WaakyeWednesday, and I am myself a fanatic of all these three hashtags.

In furtherance, Ato is currently the product manager building new avenue services at Rancard Solution, a mobile software company he co-founded. Ato is increasingly becoming an accomplished entrepreneur as the days roll on.

Ato and team #bcho breaking bottles after #bcho 

Ato is also a member of Global Shapers Hub, Ghana, an initiative of the World Economic Forum, and just recently, Ato was one of the fifty members of Global Shapers in attendance at this year’s World Economic Forum congress in Switzerland.

Finally, Ato blogs The Mighty African and has a girlfriend.

I leave you with my collection of the top five quotes from the man Ato Ulzen-Appiah.

• ·          Iwork with countless people in Ghana who had their tertiary education in   Ghana and are as good as my MIT colleagues.
• ·       Teamwork makes dream work
• ·        The destiny of a nation at any given time depends on the opinions of its young men and women.
• ·        You can start small but do not play small
• ·        I have a passion for connecting people and building a movement of forward thinking Africans.

THE POLITICS OF Gh LADIES

Relationships are part of the human life. To many, building and sustaining a relationship is tantamount to success more so when the relationship in question is one that could lead to marriage- a life-long companionship.

In this post, l espouse the behavioural patterns of Ghanaian ladies and uncover reasons why most Ghanaian ladies tend to behave in certain manners. I actually did not do much on this post except to compile the views of my analysts on the issue, in this light, l introduce to you my panellists; Stranger, Benbrittle, Abodie, Annor, Raphael, and Dr Steve all of University of Health and AlliedScience (UHAS).

The Nature of Gh Ladies

How are Gh ladies really like?

‘’like all ladies over the world, ladies are somehow peculiar in nature, even though they do not have any textbook nature. It is just a matter of getting to understand them better’’ Dr Steve.

‘’nature of Gh ladies? Simply complex’’ Stranger  

Stranger; an experienced lover

Indicators That She Likes You

What are some signs do help guys know a lady is interested in them?

‘’ok this is easy; she gives you absolute control over her life. She could go as far as allowing you to choose her outfits for her’’ Benbrittle

‘’eye contact is key, you would normally catch her stealing a peep at you. In addition, she would always want to hear your voice and this usually is when you were in a friendship before she develops an affection towards you’’ Stranger

Abodie confirms and adds a bit to Stranger’s theory ‘’. . . she definitely would always want to hear your voice but more importantly, she loves being around you’’

‘’times have changed, the ways that a lady behaves when she likes you is different from what happened in the past. It is an evolution that has taken place’’ Annor

‘’when she likes you, she is always the first to comment and ask about your social media posts and photos’’ Dr Steve 

the Biblical Dr Steve

‘’she constantly queries you on your preferences when it comes to choosing a spouse. Also she asks about your past relationship and tells you a lot about herself’’ Raphael

Why Gh Ladies Cheat

Why do some ladies choose to have spare parts?

‘’girls are like trotro. They sometimes deliberately pick overloading though they know it is inimical’’ Socrates

‘’there are varied reasons why ladies in general cheat. Lack of affection is one, and to others it just psychological- no apparent reason for cheating’’ Benbrittle

‘’ladies cheat because they do not know what they want. Most ladies believe in worldly delusions that is the underlining factor that causes them to lose their focus and thus cheat’’

On this issue, Annor and Raphael stipulates ‘’when you do not show her affection and give her attention’’

‘’lack of respect towards could compel her to cheat’’ Abodie 

Abodie, an ardent observer of ladies

‘’when you do not make love to her, she is likely to cheat. I once lost a girlfriend because l never kissed her. Lack of kissing in a relationship sends the relationship bankrupt. Another factor that could cause her to cheat is when she has had a very fractious relationship in the past’’ Stranger

  The Magic Manure

For every relationship to burgeon, there are dos and dons. My guys have their take;

‘’if you really want your relationship to grow, do not talk about your past relationship especially when it was one that had a wonderful beginning. Appreciate her efforts to look good and always compliment her. Furthermore be careful with the words you use especially when you are having an altercation; most Gh ladies do not forget easily’’ Stranger

In agreement with Stranger, Abodie throws more light on the compliments ‘’ be specific on her body parts with the compliments and also, be gentle, sweet and nice with her. Always be willing to accommodate her’’

Annor, a relationship enthusiast

Annor ‘’ pay attention to her and do not address her in a rude manner even if she does something wrong’’

Benbrittle ‘’be real with her, when she discovers that you are fake, you are doomed’’

Raphael ‘’it is just a formality. You ought to be kind and gentle towards her’’

The Pretentious ‘l will think about it’

It is common to get a response of ‘l will think about it’ when one proposes to ladies these days? What is it really about the ‘l will think about it’??

To me, ‘’when she says ‘l will think about it, it is an indirect yes. You can go and party. It is just that most ladies would not give you an instant yes because of the perception that most of such ladies are cheap’’ says Abodie

Benbrittle thinks ‘’a lady says l will think about it because she just wants to add a bit of value to herself and raise her stock so the guy does not take her for granted during the course of the relationship’’

Stranger also thinks in the same line as Ben and Abodie. . . ‘’Gh ladies in general do not swallow their pride and say yes immediately upon the proposal of a guy. ‘l will think about it’ is just a political clause ladies use to use protect their pride. Just do well to put in measures in place to prevent her from extending the ‘thinking’ period and she is all yours’’ 

Socrates, guest contributor

Dr Steve admits the assessment of my previous analysts but holds somewhat different view. . . ‘’there is the possibility a guy will think a lady is cheap when she says yes instantly to a proposal albeit most ladies are aware a guy is about to propose even before he does. Even the lady eagle tests the man eagle before they mate by dropping a rock for him to catch. It is all about persistent, the lady must know you are in for real. In furtherance some ladies wish to respect the feelings of guys who have been long being their friends before the proposal, and in this case, she may be genuinely not interested’’

Crazy? Daring? Courageous?

What do you make out of a lady who proposes to a guy she likes?

‘’oh she is courageous. I like such ladies’’ Stranger

‘’well it is a scholarship, thank you’’ Benbrittle

‘’uhhmm l do not see anything wrong with it, splendid’’ Abodie

‘’a lady who proposes to a guy is in love. It is just unfortunate must guys take advantage of the situation. It is better for the lady to just put in her best and allow the guy to propose rather. Personally, if a lady proposes to me l am not going to accept it- the relationship does not end anywhere’’ Dr Steve

Annor ‘’ebi vim this’’

Raphael ‘’ hahahahh l think it is a bold step’’ 

Raphael, believes Gh ladies are the best

Finally

Final words from the panel.

‘’Gh ladies should not date just for dating sake. They should make painstaking effort to remain single and start dating by age 22 because they would be grown enough to make matured decisions. Also, all ladies l employ all ladies to be Christ like and not give themselves to guys before marriage’’  

Annor ‘’Gh ladies should take initiative, they should just muster the courage and propose to guys who make them (ladies) happy’’

Raphael ‘’l would like to advise Gh ladies to be humble, just give attention to the guys and see what next’’

Abodie could not agree with Raphael more . . . ‘’l second Raphael. Gh ladies should give a fair chance to every guy. Ladies should not be deceived by money because the guy with the cash may just want to hit and run’’

Benbrittle, always full of fun

Stranger ‘’ Gh ladies should change their mentality. There is a misconception that the moment a guy approaches you, he is interested in making you his girlfriend whilst he may just want to ask about the direction to an unknown destination he is heading to’’

Not all the escapades of Gh ladies can be enlisted in the one blog post. There are many tales that we would like to share with you. I thank all my analysts for their candid submissions. Keep watching this space . . . #in7tweets

OUR JOURNALISTS; THE MISTAKEN CULPRITS

Ghana is a nation that has had a lot of prominent personnel in the past from all fields of life. There still are very eminent people being hailed from the nation and today, l took the chance to write on the Ghanaian journalists. The Ghanaian journalist is probably the second in line for most flak after the politician. It is very unfortunate on them owing to the point that the Ghanaian journalist has made tremendous contributions to the development of the nation and still continues to add their quota to the survival of the nation. 

the late Komla Dumor; an epitome of talent courtesy myjoyonline.com

To begin with, the media landscape in Ghana is generally not the best that one could boast of. The media is saddled with all kinds of problems and challenges. The journalist is always at the centre of every activity involving the media so much that the journalist could almost be synonymous to media in the country, so in the midst of all challenges, it is sacrosanct the Ghanaian journalist gets a pat at the back, even if it will take a blog post to do so.

Challenges with regards to poor working environment, limited and substandard working resources, inadequate training facilities, meagre financial remunerations, and lack of security for the journalists have all become normal to the Ghanaian journalist. Ghanaian journalists have become accustomed to the harsh conditions in which they work that they deem them as realities of the job. Yet, the Ghanaian journalist continues to set new standards, inform, educate, entertain, and inspire the nation day in day out.

Talents of all forms abound in Ghana, and the field of journalism holds no different edition to the story of abounding talents. Be it in eye contact, articulation, voice control, and movement in front of the camera, just name them, the Ghanaian journalist fits in the bill perfectly. The exploits of the late Komla Afeke Dumor with the British Broadcasting Corporation, and Kwabena Yeboah with AFNEX are proofs of recent memory of the Ghanaian journalist, and a lot more examples are readily available in the country.

The honesty of the Ghanaian journalist is unrivalled. The Ghanaian journalist puts the issues across as they appear in black and white. The Ghanaian journalist is a divorce from fallacies and perversion. My journalist does not revel in causing any form of ‘’alluta’’ through deliberate misinformation of the public. The openness of the Ghanaian journalist is remarkable.

Furthermore, the accuracy of journalists in my country is simply mind blowing. It was with much awe that l watched journalists in my nation present petition at the supreme court of Ghana. Be it in sports, entertainment, politics etc, Ghanaian journalists are always at top of their game with regards to the presentation of the all facts.

Kwesi Pratt Jnr, a measure of objectivity and accuracy                           credit; spyghana.com

Another aspect of journalists in my nation worth noting is their enthusiasm and passion. Whenever on the airwaves to discharge their duties, which they always do with aplomb, it means much to them than just a presentation, it is their life- a dream they have always had since childhood. In the same light, whenever a freelancer, reporter and editor puts a pen to paper to write, they always do it with utmost dedication and love to set the nation better, and not merely with the mindset of making money. The love of the Ghanaian journalist towards the job is fascinating.

In addition, the Ghanaian journalist is always objective. Journalists in my country do not condone any propaganda neither do they carry out bias campaign against a particular ‘’subject’’. I always marvel whenever l listen to Mr Kwesi Pratt Jr. on any national discourse. Also, l rejoice as l listen to Evans (joyfm), Kokui and Patrice (viasat 1), Kwame Kayi (peace fm), Dzidodo (hogbe radio), Gary Al-Smith (citi fm), Jay Foley (y fm) and all other journalists in the various media houses in the country drill their panellist just to get to the meat of the matter. The Ghanaian journalist is devoid of any crooked act in the delivery of their duties. 

Kwame Sefa Kayi, major general of the airwaves credit; ghanagist.com

Finally, it is not all dancing and dining as made clear in our local parlance ‘’ there is a Kofi in every house’’. In as much as there may forms of dubious journalist in the nation, the white light from the majority outshine the few unscrupulous ones. In any case these dubious journalists are not Ghanaian journalists in my assessment. They are political journalists who are carrying out assignments of their masters/lobbyists. Let us not pay attention to them for their wrong doings will catch up with them sooner than later. I am convinced the Ghanaian journalist could give more if rightly supported.