By Issah Mohammed
Accra, June 15, GNA – Mr David Ofosu-Dorte, Executive Chairman at AB & David Law, has urged businesses to unite and be able to speak to authority than sucking-up to politicians.
He said unity was the only way to grow the country’s business climate, noting that because some businesses were aligned with politicians, they were unable to speak to authority on issues or policies that affect them.
“We suck up to them and fail to tell them things in a very nice way. And the only way we can do that (speak to authority) is to not do politics.
“You are better off influencing politics from outside. If businesses will come together and will not suck-up to politicians, then our politicians will behave and try to do what is good for all of us,” he said.
He was speaking at the maiden LVSAfrica Building Enduring Businesses Conference, which was held on the theme: “Survival and Business Growth in times of Economic Turbulence: Weathering the Storm and Thriving.”
Mr Ofosu-Dorte said businesses must strive to be recognised for taking initiatives that contribute to the growth of their industries.
“Businesses should not just be making money but contribute to society and in return society would reciprocate the good to the business,” he said.
He also encouraged business leaders to let their relevance to others transcend their current positions to the idea, value addition and contribution they make to society.
“If the only reason why you are invited to the table is because of the position you occupied then you are irrelevant. If you are not irrelevant now, you will be irrelevant in the future.
“If a business leader finds relevance in other things he does, he is not afraid to handover for other people to run it because he will continue to stay relevant,” he said.
Chief Alhassan Andani, Executive Chairman of LVS Africa Limited, said the growth of enterprises and industries needed to be well orchestrated through thought out policies and initiatives.
He called for a consistent approach to building entrepreneurs that would compete on the global stage.
He said: “If every now and then, because of pressure and unemployment people are complaining then you come in with some kind of social injection and after there is no follow up to measure impact of such injections then that is not what we are talking about.”
“Why are our entrepreneurs unable to translate entrepreneurial spirit into viable global competitors. It is because our countries do not support the orchestration of these enterprises.
“You set up an enterprise on your own, then the next day the tax people are on you, then you have labour or workers union after you,” he said.
GNA