Nyarko Emmanuel of Casaflour has won this year’s edition of the ‘McDan Youth Connect Programme’ held in Sunyani.
The McDan Entrepreneurship Challenge, seeks to promote the spirit of entrepreneurship among the youth through the development of ideas.
Addressing the gathering, Chairman of McDan Group, Dr Daniel McKorley indicated that the incredible welcome, warm reception and amazing hospitality that the people of Sunyani accorded him and his team has been tremendous and it showed truly, a unique trademark of their values and a reflection of the kind-hearted people they are.
To the students, he thanked them for the insightful questions and the kind compliments.
He said: “I love being in a place where I can challenge and inspire young adults to realize and tap into their potential, and yesterday was an example of that. I’m grateful for the opportunity and platform to share learning points from my journey with the next generation.”
Daniel McKorley also congratulated the start-ups that pitched their amazing business ideas to the panel to win the GHc10,000 funding pot, saying they “all did an amazing job articulating your enterprise ideas to our audience and judges, and you blew the crowd away with your creativity and innovation. It’s safe to say that our future is in good hands!”
He also congratulated the winner, Nyarko Emmanuel – Casaflour, and said he is looking forward to his business creating jobs, providing livelihoods, changing the narrative from a youth of ‘job seekers’ to ‘job creators’ and creating a genuine impact in his community.
The Chairman of the McDan Group, Dr. Daniel McKorley and the Head of the McDan Foundation has cut sod for the construction of an ultra-modern school block for Catholic University students in Fiapre in the Bono Region.
The gesture came when the businessman stormed the Region to connect with some Universities in the Region with ‘McDan Youth Connect Programme’.
The construction project which will take about months for completion will serve the University in various ways.
Chief Executive of the McDan Group of Companies, Daniel McKorley, has urged students to be ready for challenges in their bid to venture into entrepreneurship.
According to him, “life comes with turbulence, every stage of your life is turbulence as a student. As a young entrepreneur, every minute of your life you face turbulence but the question is, how do you navigate around the turbulence that you face? That makes you thick, that makes you where you are” he said.
Addressing the students, he averred that students have the responsibility
To shape their own future, and the world around them, adding that “Responsibility comes in many forms but the word responsibility is what can make and unmake you. Responsibility doesn’t have age, you can have the best Parent in the world, you can have the best Teachers or Lecturers in the world, you can attend the best school like KNUST, but if you are not responsible. There are so many opportunities out there, there are so many things the youth can do but they need to push themselves one step higher and also know that manna will not come from heaven. You need to take a step before you can make it,” he said.
He said the many opportunities to make money required hard work and therefore urged the youth to go the extra mile.
On his part, Prof. Daniel Obeng Ofori. Vice Chancellor of the University and some Board members thanked the humble businessman man for stretching his hands towards them and believe the construction of the block would go a long way to help the school in achieving academic excellence.
The Group Chairman of McDan Group and McDan Foundation, Dr. Daniel good McKorley has donated Five Hundred (500) bags of Dzata cement to Muslims in Sunyani.
The donation is to help them complete their ultra- modern mosque which is under construction.
Daniel McKorley also assisted the Muslims with cash donation.
Doing the donation, Dr. McKorley said the Mosque is one of the biggest mosques in the Sunyani Munucipality where most of the Muslims worship, one of many reasons for his donation.
“We saw the project when we came to here and thought it wise to help fastened the process to a successful end,” he said.
He further thanked the Almighty Allah for protecting him and his family and prayed for good health and prosperity in the years ahead.
Naa Alhaji Sulemana Yusif Gangu the Dagomba chief of Sunyani who received the items thanked the Chairman of McDan Group for the gesture.
He said, he was taken aback by the act of generosity displaced by the McDan and thanked him for his kindness and prayed that Allah would help him throughout life.
He said the expansion of the mosque has been supported by many individuals which include government workers, private workers and philanthropists.
He said he admires McDan’s love for all persons irrespective of their religious or political background and render untainted service to help bring growth into the country.
He thanked McDan on behalf of the entire Muslim community and prayed for him.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of McDan Group of Companies, Daniel McKorley, has advised businesses in the country to be strategic in taking advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement.
By being strategic, he said businesses must first study the business terrain of their selected African markets before entering or doing business in the said African market.
He said this at the 6th Edition of the Africa Trade Roundtable meeting organised by the University of Professional Studies Accra (UPSA) in partnership with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).
Mr McKorley noted that, with the offtake of the AfCFTA pact, businesses must not rush to enter other African markets.
He said studying the business terrain of an African market before entering it was necessary, given the fact that, business techniques that work in one African country would not necessarily work or be effective in another.
“I would advise businesses to be strategic in trading on the Continent, especially in view of the AfCFTA.
“Because you see, the techniques that work in Ghana, will not work in Nigeria or Kenya. You can’t use the same techniques because if you do, you will fail,” he stated.
“Before you go into a country to trade, it is extremely important to know the culture of the country, the business environment of the country, the policies that affect business operations in the country, mergers and acquisitions in the country, among other things,” he added.
Speaking further at the event, Mr McKorley noted the timing for the creation and commencement of the AfCFTA is perfect, given rising commodity and food prices – partly due to supply chain difficulties – which is driving upwards inflation and adversely impacting livelihoods of Africans.
With AfCFTA, Mr McKorley says the African Continent can insulate itself from such incidents in the near future.
The AfCFTA pact which kickstarted January 2021, is the largest single trade bloc in the world with an estimated $3 trillion GDP value and 1.3 billion market (population of Africans).
The UPSA Africa Trade Roundtable brings together intra-African trade experts, government officials, international trade and commercial law experts, policy makers and scholars from across the world to discuss the pertinent issues arising out of the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Chief Executive Officer of McDan Group of Companies, Daniel Mckorley, has urged entrepreneurs in the country to be resilient and take advantage of the current macro-economic conditions to build a solid foundation that can propel their businesses to transcend the country’s borders, by leveraging on the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
According to him, just as businesses were able to innovate and adopt technology to survive the shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, similar tenacity is required from entrepreneurs in these trying times to survive but, this time around, the ability to look beyond the borders of this country should be their target.
He added that the hardship being experienced now does not spell all doom or gloom, but rather key attention must be paid to the significant level of ease of mobility that has been restored through technology.
“As I always say, in adversities like these real leaders emerge; stronger and more resilient countries are seen; and able countries take advantage to become the new economic force. And similarly, it is in times of adversities like this that innovative entrepreneurs emerge and become the world’s new game-changers.
It is not all doom and gloom; this is the time when Ghanaian entrepreneurs must take advantage of what is happening and launch products that will penetrate the AfCFTA. This is because it is in times like these that we see stronger businesses, and I believe this is the opportunity for vibrant, strong, young entrepreneurs to get ready and lead the fourth industrial revolution,” he said.
Dr. Mckorley further mentioned that his organisation is committed to promoting trade in the sub-region and has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the AfCFTA secretariat to provide logistics support for easy mobility of goods and services.
“My company’s partnership with AfCFTA will be a critical contributor to the transformation we want to see on the African continent. The agreement will spearhead industrial transformation and economic development, boost intra-Africa trade, and create employment.
“All businesses looking at exporting cargo should note the McDan Group of companies is here to facilitate that trade and bring growth to the economies of Africa,” he said.
He mentioned that unless the goods are able to move from one country to another, all the boardroom discussions and MoUs signed will be meaningless; hence, entrepreneurs must take advantage of the transportation logistics that his outfit is providing to ensure their goods reach all countries on the continent.
He made these remarks at the Ghana Economic Forum (GEF) 2022 – an annual event organised by the B&FT – on the theme ‘Building a robust and resilient economy through technology, finance, investment, trade and entrepreneurship’.
The AfCFTA secretariat has adopted a special instrument described as the Guided Trade Initiative (GTI), which has set the ball rolling for commercial trading to commence for the first seven countries to have met all requirements and expressed strong readiness.
Ghana is one of the first seven countries to start trading under this arrangement, and the McDan CEO believes that if entrepreneurs are able to think beyond the borders and take advantage of available logistical support they could be lead beneficiaries of the continental trade area.
The UPSA Africa Trade Roundtable VI will come off on Monday October 24, 2022.
The event which is on the topic “Infrastructure, Supply Chain systems and AfCFTA” is a collaboration between UPSA Law and ACCA with media support from Joy Business.
The speakers for the event are Dr. Daniel McKorley, Chairman and Group CEO, McDan Group of Companies; Bernadette-Nchimunya Muzeta Malilwe, a Procurement Specialist and State Advocate, Attorney General’s Chambers in the Ministry of Justice, Zambia and Johnson Kilangi, CEO, Lean Africa Consulting Limited, Kenya.
They will discuss the state of infrastructural supply on the continent relative to trade and the adjustments that need to be made to the infrastructural deficits in the short to medium-term, the actual potential impact of supply chain challenges to be encountered in the wake of these deficits and whether it is time for African governments to intensify the participation of private sector entities in the provision of public infrastructure and how can this prospect be leveraged as a tool of scalability for trade actors on the continent.
Proponents of AfCFTA argues that the existence of an adequate infrastructural base is vital for the effective operationalization of a free trade zone, adding, infrastructure provides the needed facilitation for the free movement of goods and services and underpins compliance with obligations under a trade deal.
On the other hand, the lack of a sound infrastructural base distorts supply chain dynamics and undermines market fluidity under any nascent trade regime.
Consequently, Africa and for that matter the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has been said to suffer significant historical deficits in infrastructure and this could potentially undermine the smooth implementation of the AfCFTA at the micro level.
The Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan Kyerematen has lauded a leading Ghanaian logistics company, McDan Group, for successfully signing an agreement with African Continental Free Trade Area secretariat to facilitate the haulage of goods under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
The agreement which was signed on Friday, 7th October, 2022 was announced at the launch of the AfCFTA Guided Trade Initiative at the McDan Private Jet lounge at the Kotoka International airport in Accra.
Speaking at the event, the Trade Minister commended the efforts of the Chief Executive of McDan Group, Daniel McKorley for his initiative to facilitate the transportation of goods under AfCFTA and also called on other entrepreneurs to follow suit.
“I want to end on this note by celebrating one entrepreneur in Ghana, McDan who is signing an agreement with AfCFTA to invest in cargo planes and sea freight vessel to support trading under AfCFTA. Without sea freight, air cargo, this is not going to work”.
“I think this should be a call to other entrepreneurs across the continent to start looking at investing in the logistics services”, he added.
The launch of AfCFTA marks the beginning of commercial trade between eight countries and is operating on a pilot basis. The countries include, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Tunisia, Tanzania, Egypt and Mauritius.
Already, Ghana has issued a certificate of trading to Keda Ceramics Company Limited, a tiles manufacturing company located at Shama in the Western Region to export products to Cameroun.
Also, Benso oil Palm Plantation (BOPP), a palm kernel oil production company in the Western Region is expected to export palm kernel oil to Kenya.
On the other hand, Ghana has received a consignment of coffee products from Rwanda all under the AfCFTA guided trade initiative.
Dr. Daniel Mckorley, CEO of McDan Group of Companies, has stressed that strong personalities do not build businesses; rather, systems and well-placed structures are the keys to sustainable business growth and development.
Delivering the keynote address at the International Advertising Association’s (IAA) Annual Conference – Africa Rising 5 – Dr. Mckorley said: “Learn and teach your team to be adaptable and responsive to the tiniest level of change; strong personalities do not build a business; rather, systems, structures and good governance do; and finally, discipline is not just a keyword but also a watch-word”.
Speaking on the theme ‘Building and Sustaining Brands through Tough Economic Seasons’, he stated that the theme is very aligned to his recent experience, as he started two major businesses at the pandemic’s peak and in the face of all challenges.
According to him, the first business was in the mining sector. Arguably the largest salt-mining company in the whole of West Africa, Electrochem Ghana Limited farms and produces industrial salt – a natural resource that has the potential to transform industry in Ghana and the continent as a whole.
The second Business is McDan Aviation, which is the first private jet terminal in the country and a local Fixed Base Operator in Ghana. These two businesses are large ones which are in two growth sectors of the country, and running them requires immense drive and a clear sense of direction and purpose.
He maintained that at the pandemic’s peak and beyond borders, he rallied a team of professionals to help bring these ideas into reality. Although it was daunting, he believed it was a possible task. The astute industrialist mentioned that in running his conglomerate he has lived by certain principles which have served as his cardinal point in the business terrain; and he has christened them ‘lessons in maintaining brands so they can be sustained through tough seasons’,
Fourth industrial revolution
Dr. Daniel Mckorley stated that from his perspective the fourth industrial revolution is here, and for him the way forward for African Brands in terms of growth, sustainability and robust capacity is being able to break down all barriers to trade. He took the opportunity to mention his partnership with the African Continental Free Trade Area project (AFCFTA) as it begins to open up the doors of trade in various countries.
In his closing remarks, the chairman and CEO of McDan Group of Companies quoted the famous Charles Darwin: ‘It is not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the most responsive to change’. And he has a strong belief that African business brands with purpose will respond to change and sustain their growth, thus leaving lasting legacies.
The International Advertising Association (IAA) is the world’s most influential network of marketing and marketing communication professionals. It is the only global association that represents all spheres of the marketing and marketing communications industry with presence in most markets, and education affiliates reaching across 56 countries where collective interest of the entire marketing communication profession is shared.
On the ground, IAA has over 4,000 individual and corporate members spanning marketing, advertising, media, IT Communications and academic sectors – all involved in the wide range of brand marketing and marketing communications disciplines.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of McDan Group, Daniel McKorley has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Secretary General of the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) Secretariat, H.E. Wamkele Mene, to signify the beginning of a partnership which will facilitate trade among African Countries.
The Agreement which was signed during the launch of the AfCFTA Guided Trade Initiative which was also the celebration of the 2nd anniversary of the AfCFTA Agreement on Friday, October 7, 2022, at the McDan Private Jet Terminal in Accra, will grant McDan Shipping the opportunity to load and transport goods across AfCFTA member countries.
In light of this, McDan Aviation has acquired cargo planes and sea trade vessels to support the AfCFTA.
The Minister for Trades and Industry, Hon. Allan Kyerematen lauded the efforts of Dr. Daniel McKorley and indicated that the initiative that McDan has taken would go a long way to help the success of AfCFTA.
Hon. Alan Kyerematen encouraged Africans to celebrate McDan Group and charged other African businessmen to follow suit.
The Minister mentioned that the event signifies that AfCFTA is not only on paper but in action and averred that the launch of the initiative signifies that governments of Africa are giving way to the private sector to make it a reality in terms of implementation and institutions in Africa are up to the task.
Delivering his Speech, Secretary General of AfCFTA H.E. Wamkele Mene mentioned that in 15 years, AfCFTA would succeed in lifting many Africans out of poverty and hence, he encouraged Africans to support small businesses.
Most of the stakeholders thanked Dr McKorley for stepping up and thinking about a way to support AfCFTA. They emphasized on how AfCFTAhonoured and made a reality the vision of those who liberate Africa.
Trades Under AfCFTA
On the 1st of January, the AfCFTA Secretariat formally started trading under the AfCFTA agreement.
Since then, the Secretariat and State Parties have been working to put in place structures, procedures, processes, protocols, and documentation needed to enable the commencement of commercially viable trade among State Parties.
The Secretariat in collaboration with the National AfCFTA Coordination Office under the Ministry of Trade and Industry launched the AfCFTA Guided Trade Initiative which symbolise the commencement of commercially meaningful trade on a pilot basis between Ghana, Cameroon, Egypt, Kenya, Mauritius, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Tunisia.
These countries were selected to represent the five African Union regions, including Western, Central, Eastern, Southern and Northern Africa respectively.
The Guided Trade Initiative aims to test the readiness of participating state parties under the AfCFTA, demonstrate that the AfCFTA trading documentations are operational and viable, and confirm that the Customs and Revenue Authorities of the participating countries under the AfCFTA agreement are ready to process imports and exports.
Under the Guided Trade Initiative, Keda Ceramics of Ghana will export ceramic tiles to Cameroon.
Benso Oil Palm Plantation is also slated to export palm kernel oil to Kenya and Ghana will also receive approved goods from participating State Parties.
The Guided Trade Initiative is a very significant step towards realising the African dream of boosting trade with each other and developing closer economic ties among State Parties.
Following the official launch of the commercially meaningful trade, the National AfCFTA Coordination Office in collaboration with other Ghanaian agencies will be undertaking market expeditions to lead Ghanaian businesses to explore selected African markets to trade under AfCFTA.
On Farmer’S Day December 7, Accra Great Olympics will confirm an official sponsor’s relationship with logistics giants McDan Group for the next three years.
The deal is also performance-based as there will be substantial increases in the package if certain key achievements are made in Ghana and on the continent.
McDan Group’s interest in supporting the club in a big way was shown some months ago when Olympics played Hearts of Oak in the Accra derby, during the second round of the 2020/2021 season.
Its Executive Chairman, Dr Daniel McKorley together with some notable supporters and board members of the club, Mr Humphrey Williams, Lawyer Frank Davies and Lawyer Gabby Asare Okyere-Darko put together a winning bonus package of GHC 90,000. However the game ended in a 1-1 draw.
Mechanics of the deal
The Accra based club can make up to top $270,000 every football year based on key conditions.
The club is to earn a package of $100,000 from McDan Group every contract year with an amount of $50,000 being advanced immediately after signing.
Also a second installment of $30,000 will be paid to the ‘Wonder Club’ on or before February 1, 2022. The remaining $20,000 will cover the cost of using the training pitch at the McDan La Town Park.
Olympics, who are currently fifth on the league log, will also receive $100,000 from McDan if they manage to win the Ghana Premier League (GPL) this season.
Another $50,000 will hit their account if they lift the FA Cup, while $20,000 will go to the club if they record a top four finish.
Joy Sports also understands that the package will be cancelled if the Accra based-club slump into relegation.
Added to all these is the clause to build a $10 million-worth stadium facility for the club if they are able to win the CAF Champions League.
McDan’s Sponsorship history
Dr Daniel McKorley and his outfit has been a known supporter supporter of sports for years and have also made some major strides.
First of them is the organization of the McDan Open Tennis Tournaments which have now been certified by the International Tennis Federation.
At about three occasions, the McDan Group Executive Chairman, Dr McKorley also bailed out the Ghana Tennis Federations from bans from membership of the ITF following arrears of yearly membership’s dues. He supported the federation with various amounts in excess of $30,000.
The McDan Group has also supported the National Junior Tennis team with a mini bus and monetary sponsorship for various tournaments which has also earned results. Ghana is now a dominant force in the African Junior Tennis championship as well as the West African Circuit.
Dr McKorley also constructed the McDan La Town Park which is also the nation’s biggest Astro Turf, in 2017. The McDan La Town Park is the training ground for Accra Great Olympics and is also one of the most vibrant match centers in the Women’s Premier League.
Another sports franchise established by the Group is the McDan Amateur Boxing Series which has been staged in communities to mark festivals and key national milestones.
They include the Independence Edition held in Tamale after the first Independence Parade in Ghana history to be held there and the Special Asafotufiam Festival in Ada, the town from where Ghana’s first boxing world champion D.K. Poison (David Kotei) hails.
The McDan Group also puts together one of the biggest competitive community football tournaments which include the McDan Gadangme Cup for coastal communities in the Greater Accra Region and the McDan Peace Cup.
The signing ceremony is expected to take place at the Accra Metropolitan Assembly.
