Dynamic Export

Ghana Profile
Capital: Accra
Government: Republic. Ghana gained independence from the UK in 1957
Languages: English (official), as well as Twi, Fante, Ga, Ewe, Hausa and Dagbani
Currency: Cedi (GHC), divided into 100 pesewas
Tipping: Discretionary, but 10 percent is expected in restaurants
Visas: Australian citizens need a visa, which they can obtain from the Ghana High Commission in Canberra
Religion: Christian, Muslim and traditional beliefs
Seasons: Southern Ghana: wet in April – June and September – October, dry in November – March and July – August; northern Ghana: wet from April – October
—Source: FCm Travel Solutions

CASE STUDY: CAPS Australia
Three decades ago, a Western Australian company called CAPS Australia began providing compressed air and power generation equipment to mining operations. After sporadic sales in New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, they got serious about export.

“Our first real export job was to Ghana in 1993. We dealt through Australian engineering contracts and the Ghana job was through Minproc [now GRD Minproc] that had a contract for the expansion of the Ashanti goldfields,” relays Greg Baldwin, export manager for CAPS. “Prior to that, no one knew where Ghana was.”

Over the past 15 years, CAPS has developed a relationship with the country beyond their initial introduction. Concentrating on the resources sector in Australia, the company found Ghanaian mining operations suited them.

“Ghana’s real focus is in the resources game and that’s where we aligned ourselves and saw the opportunity,” says Baldwin. “Ghana is still a developing country so they need a lot of that experience, technical input and technology.” The exporter is now exploring complementary opportunities in industries like the oil and gas sector.

Baldwin’s advice to businesses looking at Ghana is to enlist the help of government organisations such as Austrade and the Australian High Commission, which both provide introductions. He says to find expat Australians or local partners who can tap into the Ghanaian network.

“They won’t do business with you because you have a good product, they want to understand that you’re a good person. Sometimes they will do business on price but a lot of times they want to understand who you are,” he explains. “There’s a fraternity, if you like, that will open doors. If you have a local partner who has connections to people, it’ll get you business outside of what you know.”

Africa will be the next hotspot and Ghana will be an important part of its growth, so now’s the time to prepare for the boom, Baldwin believes. “Use Ghana as your base to launch into West Africa; it’s English-speaking, it’s safe, they’re willing to help and they have educated people. West Africa will grow. In these tough times I think it’s important to explore diversity.”

Baldwin’s Lessons

• Have a local partner or employ someone in the country. Especially because of the distance and time difference with Australia.
• Don’t expect things to be like Australia. If you know an expat Australian or someone of a similar culture, speak to them, learn from them. Take advice from people who have experience there.
• Have contingencies. Things take longer and if you’re not aware of that it can bite you because you have deadlines, cash flow, business targets—allow for things to take longer.
• Don’t be impatient. People have honest intentions to get things done but there are barriers.
• There’s a lot of loyalty, and a lot of honour to their word.

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