Close to a hundred golfers gathered at the Achimota Golf Course on Saturday, September 9 to participate in a golf competition collaboratively organised by the UK-Ghana Chamber of Commerce (UKGCC) and GCB Bank.
The competition was put together as part of events to mark the 70th anniversary of the Bank.
Saturday’s event was impressively attended, while the golf tournament itself was fiercely contested. The event also provided an opportunity for the various attendees to network as well.
The Executive Director of the UKGCC, Ms Adjobah Kyiamah said it was a “no-brainer” to partner with GCB Bank on the tournament, in an interview with Citi News.
“With GCB celebrating 70 years of doing business in Ghana and being a valued member of our chamber, it goes without saying that we have to support the celebration of the proud institution. They had planned a golf tournament, as had we, so it was a no-brainer to pool our resources and jointly host the tournament.”
Partnership with GCB Bank
The golf tournament is the latest in a series of collaborations between the UKGCC and GCB Bank.
The pair partnered last year on a tourism drive to push more travellers, to visit Ghana’s various waterfalls.
Madam Adjobah Kyiamah stated that her outfit was committed to backing the bank, as well as the other member companies of the Chamber, in all their endeavours, both in Ghana and the UK
“It’s a symbiotic relationship because we exist to support the interests of our member businesses in any way we can, to enable them to thrive and continue to exist. Once that happens, they will remain in our Chamber and that also keeps us in business. In any way possible that we can support GCB, and not just in Ghana, whatever their interests are in the UK as well, we’re there to support them to continue to grow beyond 70 years,” she added.
Sports Development
Sport represents a huge collaborative area between the UK and Ghana given the level of interest in both countries but the level of support for various disciplines, particularly in Ghana, has been a major concern.
While she was impressed at the level of participation in the golf tournament and the interest it had generated, Madam Adjobah Kyiamah believes there is a lot more the business community can do to push it and other sports as well.
“I think that we can do more. We’ve been doing a lot but we can do a lot more. I’ve always been interested in sports, particularly athletics, so it’s something that, I’m passionate about and it’s something that we’ve introduced at the UKGCC. We’ve had quite a few activities this year; we had the sports jamboree at the beginning of the year, we hosted the Royal Ascot event and today we’re hosting a golf tournament with GCB Bank,” she said.
“Ideally we’d like to do more, We’d like to host a golf tournament in the UK as well but baby steps. As more and more companies see what we’re doing, we’ll be able to generate more interest and generate more financial support for sporting activities.”
She was, however, hopeful that we might soon see an upturn given the interest the tournament had generated amongst even companies that were not yet in the Chamber.
“We’re very excited at the turnout. There’s been a lot of interest generated, even amongst businesses that aren’t members of our chamber but are considering joining us just because of today’s event. I’m very impressed. I don’t play golf but I’m so impressed that I plan to start learning how to play.”
UK-Ghana Business Awards
The UKGC’s Executive Director was also upbeat about their upcoming UK-Ghana Business Awards, which she touted as a celebration of companies that had immensely aided the country’s economy.
“In November, we’re going to be hosting the UK-Ghana Business Awards, and we’re excited about that as well. We’re going to be honouring the best UK Business in Ghana and the best Ghanaian business in the UK. We’re going to be ending the year by celebrating our member companies who are doing amazing things for the economy of Ghana,”
‘GCB Bank is solid’
Speaking on how the GCB Bank has evolved and positively impacted lives across Ghana in its seven decades of existence, the Deputy Managing Director of Operations at GCB Bank, Emmanuel Odartey Lamptey said: “GCB is a solid bank we have a proven track record. Over the past seven decades, we have worked to elevate Ghanaian households from poverty. We provide services through our 186-branch network, complemented by our digital channels. What differentiates GCB Bank is the personal touch. When you interact with us, the experience you get is what sets us apart from the competition.”
The event was also supported by Enterprise Group and Voltic.